Dominick Fajardo has gone from patrolling and guarding NLEX's roads and highways to patrolling the wings and guarding the Road Warriors' opponents in the PBA On Tour.
Fajardo, 29, played college ball at little-known Bulacan State University and is the Road Warriors' third-leading scorer on the Tour with 13.7 points per game. He's also a member of Cavitex, NLEX's 3x3 team. When he's not shooting hoops for NLEX the basketball team, he's working security for NLEX the toll road corporation.
Before joining NLEX, Fajardo starred in minor leagues like the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League and the Universities and Colleges Basketball League. Even after joining NLEX, he was still playing in the minors, specifically with the Bulacan team in the National Basketball League. But it was through his work as an employee of NLEX that he got his big basketball break.
"I joined NLEX in 2017," Fajardo said after scoring 20 points in NLEX's win over the San Miguel Beermen on Friday. "The next year I played for NLEX in the MVP Olympics."
The MVP conglomerate holds an annual sports festival that features players from across its companies. The basketball competition is fierce and competitive. Former professionals are not allowed to play, so players like Fajardo -- who have experience in organized ball -- stand out.
He was named MVP of the, well, MVP Olympics, then went back to his day job. But after David Murrell temporarily left Cavitex due to a personal emergency, Fajardo was asked to take his place and he hasn't looked back. When the PBA On Tour was announced, Road Warriors coach Frankie Lim signed him up.
"Hard work pays off," Fajardo said. "That's all I can say. Worth it. Hard work in practice. I practice with the 5x5 and I also practice with 3x3. That's where I became better-conditioned. And the long minutes that I've been getting from Coach Frankie have given me the breaks."
This month is shaping up to be a hectic one for Fajardo. The PBA's next 3x3 conference kicks off on July 3, while the Tour will continue until July 30. He will have to juggle practice, actual games and his day job, although his bosses usually give him the day off when the Road Warriors have a game.
Once the Tour ends, though, Fajardo's future with the 5x5 team is unclear. He's considering applying for the PBA draft, but worries about getting picked by another team.
"I'm still thinking about it," he admitted. "I'm thinking about job stability. In this current setup I can still play for NLEX (in 3x3). I still need to talk to Boss Ronald (Dulatre, NLEX team manager) and Coach Frankie."
"He has to apply for the draft," Lim said. "But another team might pick him. If not, we'll pick him and then we'll go from there.
"You have to understand, he's an employee. I think he would rather be an employee of NLEX than join another team."
Fajardo agrees.
"It will be much better if I'm with NLEX. If possible, that's better for me."