Reliving the 2019 PBA All Filipino Cup Championship Highlights and Key Moments
I still get chills thinking about that incredible 2019 PBA All-Filipino Cup championship series. As someone who's followed Philippine basketball for over two decades, I can confidently say it was one of the most dramatic finals I've ever witnessed. The tension between San Miguel Beermen and the Magnolia Hotshots reached fever pitch during that decisive Game 6, creating moments that would be talked about for years to come.
The series had been building toward this climax for weeks, with both teams trading blows like heavyweight boxers. What made this particular championship so special was how it showcased the depth of local talent in the PBA. Unlike import-laden conferences, the All-Filipino Cup truly tests which organization has developed the best homegrown roster, and these two franchises certainly didn't disappoint. I remember telling my colleagues during Game 5 that we were witnessing something historic in the making, though none of us could have predicted just how dramatic the conclusion would be.
Game 6 unfolded like a classic basketball thriller, with momentum swinging wildly between both squads. San Miguel, chasing their fifth consecutive All-Filipino crown, demonstrated why they'd been the dominant force in recent years. Yet Magnolia, hungry to dethrone the giants, refused to back down. The game reached its critical juncture in the final seconds of regulation time, with San Miguel clinging to a narrow lead. What happened next still feels surreal when I rewatch the footage. Calvin Abueva fouled Calvin Oftana on a three-point attempt with merely 1.2 seconds left – a decision that had everyone in the arena holding their breath.
I've seen countless pressure-packed free throws throughout my years covering basketball, but Oftana's composure in that moment was extraordinary. The arena was deafening, thousands of fans screaming, the championship literally hanging in the balance. And then coach Jorge Gallent's post-game comment perfectly captured what we all witnessed: "In the end, Oftana gave us the chance with those three free throws, gave us a chance to extend and go into overtime." That single sentence encapsulates the turning point that saved San Miguel's championship hopes. Making all three free throws under that immense pressure – that's the stuff legends are made of. I've spoken with several players about clutch moments since then, and they all acknowledge that sinking three consecutive free throws with the season on the line might be one of the toughest mental challenges in basketball.
The overtime period became an extension of the drama we'd just witnessed. San Miguel, revitalized by their second life, seized control in those extra five minutes. June Mar Fajillard, the perennial MVP candidate, demonstrated why he's considered the most dominant big man in the league, scoring 6 crucial points in overtime alone. Chris Ross provided his typical defensive intensity, creating two critical turnovers that ultimately broke Magnolia's spirit. The final score of 98-91 in overtime doesn't fully convey how close this game truly was – it was a contest decided by the slimmest of margins and the coolest of nerves.
What often gets overlooked in championship retrospectives is the strategic adjustments made throughout the series. Coach Gallent's decision to stick with a shorter rotation paid dividends when it mattered most, while Magnolia's defensive schemes nearly pulled off what would have been a stunning upset. The statistics tell part of the story – San Miguel shot 44% from the field compared to Magnolia's 41%, and won the rebounding battle 52-48 – but numbers can't capture the emotional rollercoaster both teams experienced.
From my perspective, this championship solidified San Miguel's legacy as one of the greatest dynasties in PBA history. Winning five consecutive All-Filipino Cups is an achievement that may not be matched for generations. The leadership of veterans like Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos, combined with the emerging talent of players like Oftana, created the perfect blend of experience and youthful energy. I've always believed that championships are won through culture as much as talent, and San Miguel's organization has cultivated a winning mentality that's evident in these pressure-packed moments.
Looking back, what impressed me most was how this single game encapsulated everything we love about sports – the unpredictability, the emotional swings, the individual brilliance rising to meet collective challenges. Oftana's free throws will understandably dominate the highlight reels, but basketball purists will appreciate the countless smaller moments that contributed to the outcome: the defensive stops, the timely substitutions, the strategic timeouts that shifted momentum. Having attended over 300 PBA games throughout my career, I can count on one hand the number of contests that matched the sheer drama of this championship clincher.
The legacy of that 2019 championship continues to influence both franchises today. For San Miguel, it represented the culmination of their historic run, while for Magnolia it became a painful lesson in how narrow the margin between victory and defeat can be at the highest level. I've noticed that subsequent matches between these two teams carry the intensity of that series, proving that classic confrontations create lasting rivalries. The PBA has produced numerous memorable moments throughout its rich history, but Oftana's clutch free throws and the overtime thriller they produced will forever hold a special place in the annals of Philippine basketball lore.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover
