SMB big man June Mar Fajardo was joined at center court by (front from left) Phoenix governor Atty. Raymond Zorilla, SMB governor Robert Non, Pocari events marketing specialist Rachel Sales, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial, Ginebra governor and league vice chairman Alfrancis Chua, Magnolia consultant Eric Arejola, NLEX governor Ronald Dulatre and Magnolia governor Jason Webb after being named winner of the PBA-Pocari Best Player of the Conference. Fajardo’s teammates were also on hand to celebrate his latest milestone.
June Mar Fajardo turned what could have been a dramatic awards night into familiar territory, claiming yet another PBA–Pocari Sweat Best Player of the Conference honor in dominant fashion on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Moments before Game 4 of the Philippine Cup Finals, the San Miguel Beer cornerstone was formally recognized as the runaway winner of the season-opening conference’s top individual award, adding a record-extending 13th BPC trophy to his already overflowing résumé.
The league’s most decorated player left no room for debate. Fajardo amassed a staggering 1,246 statistical points, sweeping all three voting components — statistics with 515 points, media votes with 569, and players’ votes with 162. It was another emphatic reminder of his sustained excellence in the All-Filipino conference, where his presence continues to loom larger than anyone else’s.
The nine-time PBA Most Valuable Player finished well ahead of his closest challenger, Converge rookie Juan Gomez De Liano, who placed second with 732 points in an impressive debut campaign. According to league chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, the award marked Fajardo’s fourth consecutive BPC in the Philippine Cup, further cementing his dominance in the league’s purest competition.
The latest honor also underscored the remarkable longevity of the Cebuano giant. This is his 10th BPC in the last 12 seasons and his fourth in the last five conferences — a run of consistency unmatched in league history.
Gomez De Liano’s runner-up finish carried its own significance. The No. 2 overall pick in the most recent draft became the first rookie to place second in the BPC race since Mikey Williams accomplished the feat for TNT in the Season 46 Governors’ Cup, a season ultimately won by Barangay Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson. De Liano finished second in media votes with 276 points, third in players’ votes with 24, and fourth in statistics with 432.
Calvin Abueva, a two-time BPC winner, placed third overall with 622 points despite ranking second to Fajardo in statistical points at 479. Completing the list of finalists were Converge big man Justine Baltazar with 456 points and Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero with 420.
As the finals rage on, the message remains clear: even in a league rich with emerging stars and proven veterans, June Mar Fajardo still sets the standard — and makes greatness look almost routine.