Francisco "Paking" Garcia Rabat (June 19, 1934 – July 19, 2008) was a Filipino politician and basketball player.

Basketball career

Rabat was also a member of the

Philippine national basketball team The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...

and was part of the squad that won the bronze medal at the

1954 FIBA World Championship The 1954 FIBA World Championship (also called the 2nd World Basketball Championship – 1954) was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil fr ...

He was given the monicker, "Rajah of Rebound". At 18 years old, Rabat was also the youngest player in the squad. In college basketball, he played for the

Ateneo Blue Eagles The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The collegiate women's v ...

Political career

Rabat served as Governor of

Davao Oriental Davao Oriental ( Cebuano: ''Sidlakang Dabaw''; tl, Silangang Davao), officially the Province of Davao Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is city of Mati, and it borders the province o ...

from 1978 to 1986. As governor, he oversaw the project for the

Mati Airport Mati Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanan sa Mati; fil, Paliparan ng Mati; ), formerly Imelda R. Marcos Airport, is an airport that serves the general area of Mati, the capital city of the province of Davao Oriental in the Philippines. It is the only airpo ...

. He also served as the mayor of Mati. With Joel Mayo Almario, whose family is a political rival of the Rabats, Rabat successfully lobbied for the cityhood of Mati. Mati, a former municipality, became a component city on June 19, 2008 after a plebiscite held the day before. He sought re-election in 2007 local elections but withdrew his bid after he was diagnosed with cancer. His daughter Michelle campaigned in his stead and was elected as Mati mayor.

Death

Rabat died on July 19, 2008 while confined at the

Davao Doctors Hospital Davao Doctors Hospital is a privately owned hospital located in Davao City, Philippines. It was founded in 1969 in the Southern Philippines. It has 250 beds and a 10-storey Medical Tower Building that houses more than 130 active members of medic ...

due to cancer.

Personal life

He was married with Edith Nakpil, a former beauty queen who competed in the Miss Philippines pageant. Rabat had four sons and a daughter with Nakpil.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabat, Francisco 1934 births 2008 deaths Governors of Davao Oriental Filipino sportsperson-politicians Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1954 Asian Games Medalists at the 1954 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines 21st-century Filipino politicians 1954 FIBA World Championship players