For years, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons were better known for heartbreaking losses than championship celebrations.
But when business leader and UP alumna Robina Gokongwei-Pe first threw her support behind the men’s basketball program in 2010, she saw something that went beyond the scoreboard.
She saw potential.
And she decided to stay—even when the wins were almost impossible to find.
Gokongwei-Pe’s story of standing behind the Fighting Maroons has resurfaced through InsiderPH and earlier reporting by The Philippine Star, highlighting how a long-term commitment to a struggling team eventually became part of one of the most remarkable turnarounds in UAAP basketball.
She backed UP at its lowest point
Gokongwei-Pe began supporting the UP men’s basketball team in 2010. That season, the Fighting Maroons finished 0-14, going winless in the UAAP tournament.
The struggles didn’t disappear quickly.
UP endured another 0-14 campaign in 2013, while championship contention remained a distant dream. In an earlier interview, Gokongwei-Pe recalled that people questioned why anyone would continue putting money behind a team that kept losing.
But for her, the situation was familiar.
She compared the Fighting Maroons’ predicament with the early days of Robinsons Retail, when the business was still being built from the ground up and suppliers were uncertain about its prospects.
Her message was simple: sometimes, someone has to believe before the results arrive.
“We saw it in their eyes”
That became the central idea behind her support for UP.
According to the InsiderPH account, Gokongwei-Pe recalled seeing something in the players that reminded her of the early struggles of her family’s retail business.
It wasn’t simply about sponsoring a basketball team.
For her, supporting UP was also a way of giving back to the university that had helped shape her.
She had entered UP as a freshman in 1978 and later became involved with the university’s centennial activities. Her connection with the school ultimately led her toward supporting its men’s basketball program.
And the commitment became a long one.
The turnaround didn’t happen overnight
The Fighting Maroons’ transformation was gradual.
One of the major turning points came in 2014, when the Nowhere to Go But UP organization was established by UP alumni to provide greater support for the university’s athletic programs.
GMA News reported that the organization initially wasn’t even focused primarily on winning championships. The priority was making sure UP athletes received the support they needed to compete properly—including basic necessities such as food and equipment.
Former UP player Mikee Reyes recalled seeing an immediate difference after the organization became involved.
The players had better shoes, food and opportunities to train and compete abroad.
The foundation’s broader mission eventually extended beyond men’s basketball, with proceeds and fundraising also supporting other UP varsity teams and athletes.
That investment helped create the foundation for what came next.
From 0-14 to the Final Four
In 2018, UP reached the UAAP Final Four for the first time in 21 years.
For Gokongwei-Pe, that moment carried particular significance.
After years of supporting a team that had struggled at the bottom of the standings, suddenly UP was competing on the biggest stage again.
She later recalled realizing just how far the program had come when the team reached the finals during Season 81.
But the biggest moment was still ahead.
Then came the championship nobody could forget
In May 2022, the Fighting Maroons completed the transformation.
UP defeated the Ateneo Blue Eagles 72-69 in overtime in the deciding Game 3 of the UAAP Season 84 Finals, ending the school’s 36-year men’s basketball championship drought.
The winning moment came from JD Cagulangan, who drilled a three-pointer with just 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime.
The shot completed an extraordinary comeback and delivered UP its first UAAP men’s basketball championship since 1986.
For someone who had been there through the 0-14 seasons, the victory represented far more than a trophy.
It was the payoff to years of patience.
The story didn’t end with the first title
UP’s resurgence proved to be more than a one-season miracle.
The Fighting Maroons remained among the UAAP’s strongest programs, reaching the Finals repeatedly and eventually capturing another championship in 2024. InsiderPH reports that the team made five consecutive Finals appearances during this period and won its second title of the new era in 2024.
Robinsons Retail also continued its long-running relationship with the program.
In 2024, the company renewed its sponsorship ahead of UAAP Season 87, marking 15 years of support. The company specifically highlighted the team’s 0-14 records in 2010 and 2013 as part of the difficult journey it had remained committed to.
The partnership continued into 2025, when Robinsons Retail and Universal Robina’s Agro-Industrial Group renewed their backing of the Fighting Maroons. Manila Bulletin reported that the relationship had reached its 16th year, while Philstar.com likewise reported on the renewed sponsorship.
What makes Gokongwei-Pe’s story different
The most compelling part of Gokongwei-Pe’s UP story isn’t simply that she supported a future champion.
It’s that she supported the team before there was much evidence it would become one.
At a time when UP could finish a season without a single victory, there was little glamour attached to being a Maroons backer.
There were no championship celebrations to attend.
No dynasty.
No guarantee that the investment would pay off.
Yet the support continued.
And eventually, the team that once struggled to attract spectators became a perennial contender capable of filling arenas and competing for UAAP championships.
That is why Gokongwei-Pe’s story resonates beyond basketball.
It is a story about believing in potential before success becomes obvious.
As she explained when asked what “UP Fight” means to her, the answer was characteristically direct: never give up—unless you’ve genuinely tried your best and the situation is truly hopeless.
For the Fighting Maroons, the years of losing weren’t the end of the story.
They were the beginning.
And perhaps that is exactly what Robina Gokongwei-Pe saw when she looked at a struggling UP team in 2010—not a loser, but a program that had yet to discover what it could become.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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