Mac Belo was caught by surprise the moment Blackwater management informed him that they were trading him to Meralco in exchange for Baser Amer – he could not even respond to his bosses accordingly.
“Nabigla nga ako. Hindi ko alam kung ano isa-sagot ko kay boss,” the 27-year-old told Tiebreaker Times.
“Nagpasalamat na lang ako sa kanila, sa lahat-lahat ng tulong na binigay nila sa akin in the past four years.”
No one can fault Belo for feeling as much. After all, he began his PBA career with the Dioceldo Sy-owned franchise when it picked him during the special Gilas Pilipinas round of the 2016 Rookie Draft.
Eventually, the Far Eastern University product emerged as the team’s main man, leading them to the quarterfinals thrice. He then saw his efforts rewarded with a three-year max extension in 2019.
He did not stop there. Fully healthy coming off a knee injury, Belo was among those holding the fort for an injury-ridden Elite in the Philippine Cup bubble last year, with norms of 11.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.
“Nung una, ‘di ko alam anong mafi-feel ko. Ganun pala,” said the incoming five-year pro.
“Nakakalungkot din, kasi parang nasanay na ‘yung katawan ko na dun ako lagi pumupunta, at sila lagi nakakasama ko.”
Fast forward to Thursday, and the league finally approved the trade. Belo is officially a Bolt, with Amer and Bryan Faundo now Bossings as the trade committee revised the deal and included the veteran big man.
Belo, 27, shared that he now understands that trades such as this are all part of the journey being professionals.
“Nung nalaman ko, ‘di ko alam kung ano sasabihin ko. Pero ngayon, nagsi-sink in na,” said the cager from Midsayap, North Cotabato.
“Mahirap lang sa umpisa, pero ganun kasi ata talaga ‘yung buhay sa PBA.”
Now, Belo is very much looking forward to joining Meralco, who has been hitting strides in the past few years.
After three appearances in the last four Governors’ Cup Finals, the Bolts made history anew in last year’s all-Filipino cagewars. There, it reached the import-less conference’s semis for the first time in team history.
The MVP Group-owned ball club was actually a win away from the Finals until Scottie Thompson and Ginebra spoiled the party. But it was still a big achievement and says a lot how exciting the future holds for them.
And Belo feels excited to be part of that. But at the same time, he feels motivated to prove that Meralco made the right decision in acquiring him.
“Sobrang excited ako sa bagong opportunity na ‘to, kasi super ganda din ng organisasyon ng Meralco. Sobrang blessing sa’kin,” he said.
“Pagtatrabahuhan ko maigi kung anumang maitutulong ko kay Meralco.”
