Vigildo Quezon T. Babilonia (August 19, 1966 – January 14, 2007) was a
Filipino basketball player in the
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
.
High School/College Career
Babilonia played for the
Letran Squires under Coach Fred Reyes from 1981 to 1984. Despite the team's height advantage—four players standing above six feet—and a talented back court (
Alfrancis Chua, Eric Enad, Elmer Bolabola, Raymond Reyes), the Squires lost to the Trinity College Baby Stallions in the 1984 NCAA junior division finals. He was named MVP of the NCAA junior division in 1984.
Together with Alfrancis Chua, he moved to the
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...
and played with the
Glowing Goldies where he was part of UST's “Triple Tower” in the 1980s, together with Bobby Jose and future UST Growling Tigers assistant coach Rabbi Tomacruz and dominated the UAAP.
Professional career
After finishing his amateur career with a stint in the national team and as part of the PABL champion
Magnolia Ice Cream
Magnolia is a food and beverage brand owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and used by its various subsidiaries. The brand was commercially established by SMC (then known as San Miguel Brewery) as an ice cream brand in 1925.
History
The hist ...
. Gido turn pro in 1990 and was the only rookie of the talent-laden roster of
Purefoods Hotdogs that season. He was the Hotdogs' third big man and would be sent in only when
Jerry Codiñera
Jerry Herman Codiñera (born November 14, 1966) is a Filipino coach and retired professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association. He is nicknamed the "Defense Minister" for his prowess at the defensive end. He is the curre ...
and
Jack Tanuan
Edgardo "Jack" Tanuan (July 23, 1965 – April 4, 2002) was a Filipino professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association.
College / Amateur career
Tanuan played college basketball at Far Eastern University in the UAAP. In t ...
were to be relieve.
He was traded by Purefoods to
Shell for the Turbo Chargers' first round pick in the
1991 PBA draft
The 1991 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie draft was an event at which teams drafted players from the amateur ranks. The annual rookie draft was held on January 15, 1991, at The ULTRA.
Round 1
Round 2
Notes
*Purefoods owns the ...
. Babilonia was hardly utilized and having to share exposure with
Benjie Paras. Gido played for his third team the following year when Shell shipped him to Pepsi Hotshots, where he was reunited with his former coach
Derrick Pumaren.
Gido was promoted to starting center at Pepsi following the trade which sent
Manny Victorino
Manuel "Manny" Victorino (born December 30, 1958) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Phil ...
to Ginebra and
Abet Guidaben moving to Shell. Babilonia improved a lot in manning the slot. In 1994, Gido almost called it quits after a doctor diagnosed him of a heart problem. He was later given a clean bill of health enabling him to return to the Pepsi roster.
In 1995, he was traded by Pepsi to
San Miguel in exchange for
Kevin Ramas during the pre-season. Gido was a starting unit for the Beermen for two seasons.
He resurfaced in the newly formed
Metropolitan Basketball Association in 1998. Gido was averaging in double figures for the first time in his pro career and was the Pasig Blue Pirates' top big man for two seasons. He made a comeback in the PBA in 2000 and played for
Mobiline Phone Pals and in his final year with
FedEx Express
FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, is a major American cargo airline based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. As of 2020, it is one of the world's largest airlines in terms of fleet size and freight tons flown. It is the na ...
.
Babilonia had PBA career averages of 21.3 minutes, 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in a 10-year career.
Personal life
His parents are Mr. & Mrs. Pablito Babilonia. He was married to Narissa Cheryl and they have 3 children, namely, Thomas Isiah, former Ateneo Blue Eagle cager Gideon Ira and Seth Isaac. He was close friends with the Pumaren brothers, Dindo,
Franz Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...
and
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...
.
Death
Babilonia was rushed to the hospital in the early hours of January 12, 2007 after he complained of chest pain and vomiting. Two days later, he died around 4:20 a.m. at the Medical City hospital in Pasig due to embolus (pulmonary) blood clot rupture. He was 40.
Ex-PBA cager Babilonia passes away
/ref> According to his father, Pablito, he had not had a medical check-up for two years. Furthermore, his father added that he had been really dedicated to his work as assistant coach in the University of the East
The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...
and his business (B&B Fish Dealer) that he overlooked his health.
His remains were laid to rest at the Holy Garden Memorial Park in Antipolo.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babilonia, Gido
1966 births
2007 deaths
Deaths from pneumonia in the Philippines
Filipino men's basketball players
Basketball players from Quezon
Magnolia Hotshots players
San Miguel Beermen players
TNT Tropang Giga players
UST Growling Tigers basketball players
Centers (basketball)
Shell Turbo Chargers players
Barako Bull Energy players
Filipino men's basketball coaches
Tagalog people
Magnolia Hotshots draft picks
UE Red Warriors basketball coaches