From the Sidelines is a feature series that seeks to profile talented individuals who work behind the scenes in contributing to the greater success of Ateneo Sports. In the third installment, we remember the life of legendary barker Rolly Manlapaz, the voice behind many of Ateneo sports’ iconic moments.

“ISAAC GO THREEE,” echoed Rolly Manlapaz throughout the Araneta Coliseum as the crowd in blue went wild and sensed the imminent taste of a championship. This was the dagger that sealed the win for Ateneo in game three of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Men’s Basketball Finals.

Throughout the years, Manlapaz has memorialized many similar iconic moments in Ateneo sports history. However, the legendary barker’s reverberating voice has been missed since his untimely passing in 2018 due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).   As his legacy in the collegiate scene lives on, we look back on the life of a man who gave a unique flavor to the greatest moments in the history of Ateneo sports.

The man behind the voice

Beyond the barker’s box, Manlapaz’s personality was one thing that his lifelong friend, Rick Olivares, will always remember him by. “Makulit talaga yung taong iyon, maingay, and mahilig sa basketball (He was really a fun guy, loud, and loves basketball),” shared Olivares.

Aside from his playful personality, Manlapaz was also a man of purpose. Even at a young age, Manlapaz already knew that he wanted to speak behind the microphone—he began to use objects lying around his childhood home to practice his voice-over skills. “Ever since he was a kid, he always acted like a barker, holding brooms and different things and using them as microphones, and he just announces anything with a loud voice,” shared Manlapaz’s son Kevin.

After graduating from Ateneo with a communication degree, Manlapaz began his career as a disk jockey (DJ) for DZMZ-FM—a move that was not a surprise to many. Through his on-air moniker Jellybean, Manlapaz’s childhood dream of speaking behind the microphone was finally within arm’s reach.

As a DJ, Manlapaz’s playful personality shone through, which resulted in some fun banters with callers. For instance, a caller requested to play a Phil Collins song but Manlapaz refused to play it because he was not fond of it. Instead, he rendered Young MC’s Bust a Move. Funnily enough, the caller instantly adored the rendition that they repeatedly requested for Bust a Move instead of the Phil Collins song after that encounter.

Although Manlapaz found success in his stint as a DJ, his heart remained tethered to basketball. According to Olivares, Manlapaz was well on his way to further success in broadcasting, but ultimately chose barking because “it was the closest thing he’d ever get to being on a basketball court.”

Calling the shots

Bringing together his love for speaking and basketball, Manlapaz announced his entrance as a barker in the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) in 1998. When the MBA closed its doors in 2002, Manlapaz sought new opportunities in other local leagues like the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). However, his time with the PBA was short-lived because the league did not give him the creative freedom when calling the games. Eventually, he found a home in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the FilOil Flying V Preseason Cup, and the UAAP, where he remained for the rest of his career.

It was in calling inter-collegiate leagues that Manlapaz’s barking career found a match made in heaven. Since the turn of the millennium, Manlapaz elevated countless iconic collegiate basketball and volleyball games. His first remarkable moment happened in the UAAP Season 65 Men’s Basketball semi-finals, with Gec Chia hitting a huge buzzer beating triple to send Ateneo to the finals. Manlapaz was also behind the microphone for Ryan Buenafe’s dagger three that secured Ateneo’s three-peat men’s basketball title in UAAP Season 73, as well as Alyssa Valdez’s championship-winning point in the UAAP Season 76 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.

However, one career-defining moment for Manlapaz happened outside of inter-collegiate sports. In 2013, Gilas Pilipinas defeated South Korea to clinch the Philippines’ first FIBA World Cup berth since 1978. As the final buzzer sounded, Manlapaz proudly announced to the roaring Mall of Asia Arena crowd that “The Philippines is going to Madrid, Spain!”

Beyond announcing groundbreaking moments in sports, Manlapaz added flavor to the matches he called by giving many players their trademark nicknames. Some of Manlapaz’s notable monikers include Valdez’s “The Phenom” and San Sebastian alumnus Calvin Abueva’s “The Beast.”

Simultaneously, the zest he brought to the games extended to the players’ psyche, who felt more motivated whenever Manlapaz called their name or added commentary to highlight a play.

A voice to remember

From playful nicknames to vibrant game announcements, Manlapaz’s voice behind the microphone undoubtedly shaped the atmosphere of collegiate games. In contrast to the barkers that came before him, Manlapaz had a distinct flair that consistently kept the crowd on their toes and highlighted the games’ premier moments.

Although Manlapaz lost his battle with ALS, he exited the game as perhaps the most impactful barker in the history of Philippine sports. Two years on,  his legacy as a barker will continue to be celebrated through the countless moments he helped create and the nicknames he gave to dozens of players.