PERSON IN INTEREST SERIES: TEBAN PINTURA
A term "person of interest" is usually associated with someone who the police considers as involved in a crime, but there aren't enough facts to engender a belief that he is a suspect in its commission. In the biking community, such a person would be one who has done something to merit attention and even praise.
If one hangs around in the RBP Page for sometime, you can't miss the posts of this guy whose works are as colorful as his callsign. No doubt, this guy is supremely talented when it comes to repainting bike frames because of his distinctive style. His passion for colors is but a reflection of the colorful life that he has had so far.
Stephen Pontejos is a 42-year old bike enthusiast from Manila, who learned the ropes of the printing business from his father (who died just recently). He is happily married with 4 children. He got his first bike when he was just 7 years old "para makasama ang mga bata sa labas", according to his father. "I was a shy person, attorney", he explained, "I was a weakling compared to my brothers and sisters. Asthmatic kasi ako. Minsan nga, dinala ako ng nanay ko sa Liliw (Laguna) at pinakain ako ng buntot ng butiki para mawala yung hika ko." Unlike him, his siblings were quite athletic -- a brother was good enough to become a varsity player in San Beda, while his sisters were varsity players in volleyball at UP.
Steve compensated for his "weak" constitution in the arts: he is good in drawing. He says, "Nung bata ako, mahilig ako sa Ginebra, kaya dino-drawing ko mga mukha ni Dondon Ampalayo, sina Jaworski at iba pa. Charcoal at pencil ang ginagamit ko. Kaya't hanggang ngayon, gusto ko yung gumawa ng works of art, although sa pagpinta ng mga bikes naman." He is happy that his talent for doodling appears to have been inherited by his daughter.
He got hooked into cycling when he was 16 years old, when he learned of the Marlboro Tour. He especially idolized Renato Dolosa even back then. Steve went into fan mode when he reminisced that "hindi sya (Dolosa) nanalo ng kahit isang lap pero nag-champion sya kasi sobrang utak nya". When he told his parents that he wanted to be a cyclist, his father said, "Gago ka!" Due to his insistence, he was bought a chromoly hi-tension bike, went to Buendia to have it re-welded to look like a professional cyclist's bike, and had the bike repainted with Trek decals to mimic the bike of his idol, Lance Armstrong. Steve remembers that one of the apprentices in that Buendia bike repair shop is the legendary Ave Maldea.
If you see this guy now, it would be difficult to believe that at one time in his life, his weight had ballooned to 233 lbs. "Happy eater po ako nun to the point na hindi na nakakatuwa", he said. "When I became so fat that I could not even tie my own shoelaces, I decided to go back to biking." He bought a mountain bike in 2003 and was one of the regular 'Sabak' boys who would haunt the trails of Sta. Rosa during weekends. The slowdown in the printing business forced him to sell his Elsworth bike and his Ford Expedition, as well as transfer his children to St. Paul College in Makati. After his business recovered, his weight ballooned once again. He tried playing basketball with his older brother, but a leg injury resulted in his early retirement. Steve decided to go back to his first love -- cycling. From 2009 up to 2013, he became a regular at Mall of Asia, and went into serious training mode as a competitive cyclist (Executive category).
So how DID he become "Teban Pintura"? In December 2013, he wanted to acquire welding skills at TESDA in order to fix their gate at his Bangkal home. Instead, he opted to enroll in a one-week course on automotive painting. "Nakaka-bobo ang automotive painting, attorney" he said. Putting his new-found skills to use, and having a lifelong knowledge in the printing business, he decided to fool around with the bike of his fellow biker, Rad Bustamante, "para pag-praktisan". Unknown to him, Rad was so pleased with his work that he posted the output at Road Bike Pilipinas and told people to contact him for inquiries. He suddenly began receiving inquiries from as far as Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. To date, he has painted thousands of bike frames from local and foreign clients, "pero most of my clients are from the north and south of Manila".
"The secret of my success is the uniqueness of my work," Steve opines. "Hindi ako umuulit ng gawa. Minsan nga, merong client na ayaw ng orange pero nung nakita yung gawa ko na kulay orange, sabi nya na gusto nya nang katulad nun. I said 'I'm sorry, choose another design'" He says that he has painted original and fake frames, and that some of these fake frame owners have gone on to place or win in events.
Being the colorful character that he is, I couldn't end the interview without engaging Steve in a Boy Abunda-type series of final questions. This was what transpired:
RF: Steve, answer quickly ha. Who's your favorite cyclist from the past?
TB: Renato Dolosa.
RF: Favorite cyclist from the present?
TB: Macmac of 7-11 and Cris Joven.
RF: Kung kasama mo si Arci Munoz sa kwarto, ano ang gagawin mo?
TB: Aba syempre!
RF: Syempre ano??!
TB: Syempre, lalabas ako ng kwarto kasi i'm married! (hahaha)
RF: What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of this person. JayC Cruz.
TB: Sex.
RF: Edward Schindler Tia.
TB: Intsik na kuripot.
RF: Mari Amistoso.
TB: Feeling siklista na malakas.
RF: Kanino ka tumaya sa "Pahabaan ng TT"?
TB: Kay MavRick!
RF: Baket??
TB: Nakita ko na ang TT ni JayC, mas mahaba ang TT ko.
RF: Sino ang naninigaw sa MoA?
TB: Si JayC Cruz. At ako. (hahaha)
If one hangs around in the RBP Page for sometime, you can't miss the posts of this guy whose works are as colorful as his callsign. No doubt, this guy is supremely talented when it comes to repainting bike frames because of his distinctive style. His passion for colors is but a reflection of the colorful life that he has had so far.
Stephen Pontejos is a 42-year old bike enthusiast from Manila, who learned the ropes of the printing business from his father (who died just recently). He is happily married with 4 children. He got his first bike when he was just 7 years old "para makasama ang mga bata sa labas", according to his father. "I was a shy person, attorney", he explained, "I was a weakling compared to my brothers and sisters. Asthmatic kasi ako. Minsan nga, dinala ako ng nanay ko sa Liliw (Laguna) at pinakain ako ng buntot ng butiki para mawala yung hika ko." Unlike him, his siblings were quite athletic -- a brother was good enough to become a varsity player in San Beda, while his sisters were varsity players in volleyball at UP.
Steve compensated for his "weak" constitution in the arts: he is good in drawing. He says, "Nung bata ako, mahilig ako sa Ginebra, kaya dino-drawing ko mga mukha ni Dondon Ampalayo, sina Jaworski at iba pa. Charcoal at pencil ang ginagamit ko. Kaya't hanggang ngayon, gusto ko yung gumawa ng works of art, although sa pagpinta ng mga bikes naman." He is happy that his talent for doodling appears to have been inherited by his daughter.
He got hooked into cycling when he was 16 years old, when he learned of the Marlboro Tour. He especially idolized Renato Dolosa even back then. Steve went into fan mode when he reminisced that "hindi sya (Dolosa) nanalo ng kahit isang lap pero nag-champion sya kasi sobrang utak nya". When he told his parents that he wanted to be a cyclist, his father said, "Gago ka!" Due to his insistence, he was bought a chromoly hi-tension bike, went to Buendia to have it re-welded to look like a professional cyclist's bike, and had the bike repainted with Trek decals to mimic the bike of his idol, Lance Armstrong. Steve remembers that one of the apprentices in that Buendia bike repair shop is the legendary Ave Maldea.
If you see this guy now, it would be difficult to believe that at one time in his life, his weight had ballooned to 233 lbs. "Happy eater po ako nun to the point na hindi na nakakatuwa", he said. "When I became so fat that I could not even tie my own shoelaces, I decided to go back to biking." He bought a mountain bike in 2003 and was one of the regular 'Sabak' boys who would haunt the trails of Sta. Rosa during weekends. The slowdown in the printing business forced him to sell his Elsworth bike and his Ford Expedition, as well as transfer his children to St. Paul College in Makati. After his business recovered, his weight ballooned once again. He tried playing basketball with his older brother, but a leg injury resulted in his early retirement. Steve decided to go back to his first love -- cycling. From 2009 up to 2013, he became a regular at Mall of Asia, and went into serious training mode as a competitive cyclist (Executive category).
So how DID he become "Teban Pintura"? In December 2013, he wanted to acquire welding skills at TESDA in order to fix their gate at his Bangkal home. Instead, he opted to enroll in a one-week course on automotive painting. "Nakaka-bobo ang automotive painting, attorney" he said. Putting his new-found skills to use, and having a lifelong knowledge in the printing business, he decided to fool around with the bike of his fellow biker, Rad Bustamante, "para pag-praktisan". Unknown to him, Rad was so pleased with his work that he posted the output at Road Bike Pilipinas and told people to contact him for inquiries. He suddenly began receiving inquiries from as far as Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. To date, he has painted thousands of bike frames from local and foreign clients, "pero most of my clients are from the north and south of Manila".
"The secret of my success is the uniqueness of my work," Steve opines. "Hindi ako umuulit ng gawa. Minsan nga, merong client na ayaw ng orange pero nung nakita yung gawa ko na kulay orange, sabi nya na gusto nya nang katulad nun. I said 'I'm sorry, choose another design'" He says that he has painted original and fake frames, and that some of these fake frame owners have gone on to place or win in events.
Being the colorful character that he is, I couldn't end the interview without engaging Steve in a Boy Abunda-type series of final questions. This was what transpired:
RF: Steve, answer quickly ha. Who's your favorite cyclist from the past?
TB: Renato Dolosa.
RF: Favorite cyclist from the present?
TB: Macmac of 7-11 and Cris Joven.
RF: Kung kasama mo si Arci Munoz sa kwarto, ano ang gagawin mo?
TB: Aba syempre!
RF: Syempre ano??!
TB: Syempre, lalabas ako ng kwarto kasi i'm married! (hahaha)
RF: What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of this person. JayC Cruz.
TB: Sex.
RF: Edward Schindler Tia.
TB: Intsik na kuripot.
RF: Mari Amistoso.
TB: Feeling siklista na malakas.
RF: Kanino ka tumaya sa "Pahabaan ng TT"?
TB: Kay MavRick!
RF: Baket??
TB: Nakita ko na ang TT ni JayC, mas mahaba ang TT ko.
RF: Sino ang naninigaw sa MoA?
TB: Si JayC Cruz. At ako. (hahaha)
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