By JONAS TERRADO
The “Pinatubo Trio” made their much-awaited reunion Sunday after Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang met with troubled former college teammate Ronald Pascual.
Abueva and Sangalang posted on their social media accounts a group photo with Pascual, who is dealing with hard times in what was described by his brother as the “saddest stage of his life.”
Both Abueva and Sangalang made good on their promise to reach out with Pascual upon the conclusion of their respective stints inside the PBA bubble in Clark, Pampanga.
The reunion became possible after Abueva and Phoenix Super LPG were eliminated by TNT in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series that ended Friday.
Sangalang had been out of the bubble for more than two weeks after Magnolia lost to Abueva’s team in the quarterfinals.
The three played for San Sebastian College from 2009 to 2012, resulting in an NCAA championship during their first season together. They also won championships in the commercial ranks for Excelroof in the defunct Philippine Basketball League and NLEX in the PBA D-League.
They went their separate ways thereafter, with Abueva having completed an impressive campaign following a 16-month suspension and Sangalang becoming one of the PBA’s top big men.
Pascual, however, never got a chance to translate his amateur success into the pros, lasting just four seasons for five PBA teams before dealing with personal problems.
He has since come back to his home province of Pampanga, with NLEX’s Michael Miranda paying a visit recently.
The meeting should serve as a morale-booster for Pascual as he tries to pick up the pieces and get his life back in order.
