Basketball great Rosalio "Yoyong" Martires, who competed for the last Philippine squad in the Olympics, died at the age of 77 on Tuesday, June 18. His daughter, Moby Leah, announced his passing in a Facebook post.
“A loving husband, a doting father, a caring grandpa, a self-made man, an Olympian, a prolific basketball player, a comedian, a devoted public servant, and a child of Christ. Difficult steps to follow, indeed,” she said.
Yoyong’s basketball career
Martires played with the likes of Freddie Webb, Manny Paner, and Bogs Adornado on the final Philippine basketball team to represent the country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
He also assisted the Philippines in winning the 1973 ABC Championship (now known as the FIBA Asia Cup) the following year.
In the local basketball scene, Martires played for the San Miguel Beermen franchise, in the PBA and its predecessor league MICAA.
Hailing from Cebu, the 5-foot-8 guard helped San Miguel win its first two PBA championships–the 1982 Invitational Championship and the 1979 Open Conference.
Making a mark in showbiz and public service
Martires was an accomplished actor who worked with comedians like Joey de Leon and Vic Sotto.
He made appearances on television in the shows “John en Marsha” in the 1980s and “Iskul Bukol" in the late 1970s. In 1985, he made his feature film debut in “Ma'am May We Go Out?” which “starred the comedy trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joeyde Leon.
Martires transitioned as a local politician in Pasig City under mayors Vicente and Bobby Eusebio, serving as vice mayor. Later, he was elected twice to the Pasig City Council, for the city’s second district.
