Coming from the JRU Heavy Bombers, some consider Cezar the best “thinking” power forward in the history of the PBA. He is the perfect example of a power forward with finesse, unlike contemporary "four" players like Marc Pingris, Eric Menk and Danny Ildefonso, and much earlier, Alvin Patrimonio and Nelson Asaytono, who rely primarily on sheer power and brute strength. Though barely 6'3" and less than 200 pounds, he was usually given the unenviable task of guarding tall imports from opposing teams. On defense, his unusually long arms served him in good stead, using them in his famous "umbrella-like" defense and two-handed shot-blocks. And though he played the No. 4 position for most of his career, he was like a second point guard on the floor, often orchestrating big plays and dishing out timely passes. He could also run the floor and finish fastbreaks with his patented "stretch" lay-up. He is best remembered as the very first one-on-one champion of the league when he defeated Ramon Fernandez in the finals of the 1979 Sprite One-on-One challenge where he won P25,000.00. In 2000, he was named as one of the PBA's 25 greatest players of all-time in elaborate awards ceremonies that highlighted the 25th anniversary of the league. In 2005, he was one of the twelve initial inductees to the PBA Hall of Fame alongside fellow Crispa players Atoy Co and Bogs Adornado, and Toyota stalwarts Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz and Fernandez together with former PBA Commissioners Leo Prieto, Emerson Coseteng and Atty. Rudy Salud as well as legendary Crispa coach and team manager, respectively, Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan and Danny Floro, and the late anchorman Joe Cantada. He finished his illustrious PBA career as the No.6 all-time leading scorer with 12,077 points behind Fernandez, Abet Guidaben, Patrimonio, Atoy Co and Asaytono. He also is the fifth all-time best rebounder with 5,834 total rebounds behind Fernandez, Guidaben, Jerry Codiñera and Patrimonio and was No. 2 in shotblocks with 1,370. He also had 3,130 assists, 599 steals, converted 2066/2767 free throws in 28127:05 minutes played in 918 games. He, along with Fernandez, are the only two players in PBA history who has accumulated at least 12,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 1,000 shot blocks.
Career highlights
Member of the 1976 and 1983 Crispa Grand Slam Team
After his retirement, Cezar went to coaching. He served as a long-time assistant coach to his former longtime rival Jaworski during the champion teams of Ginebra in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2000, he coached the San Juan Knights to a championship in the now defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association beating the Negros Slashers in six games, 4-2. In 2004, he was named commissioner of the Universities and Colleges Athletic Association for its third season. In 2005, he accepted the job as the new head coach of the Philippine School of Business Administration. In 2013, he was appointed by then Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada as head of Manila's sports council, which aims to prioritize youth volleyball, swimming, track and field, chess, badminton, table tennis, and basketball, along with coaching and training clinics at the elementary and high school levels. Currently, Cezar is the coach of the Manila Stars in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, a brainchild of Senator Manny Pacquiao.
Political career
He also served as a long-time Vice Mayor of the municipality of San Juan first under Mayor Jinggoy Estrada. Months prior to the 2001 elections, he was appointed as Acting Mayor of San Juan while then Mayor Estrada was serving his suspension due to the plunder charges leveled against the latter and his father, former Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
Quotes
from Rudy Salud, former PBA Commissioner - "As a player, Fernandez should be ranked No. 1. With his skills, I would rank him No. 1. But one little shade below him, very little shade, is Philip Cezar, a natural talent. In fact, they could even be a dead heat. Viewed from my angle, it's Fernandez in a photo finish, followed by Cezar. But viewed from the other side, it could be the other way around. Fernandez was tall, a natural advantage. He was quick, he had agility. For a tall player, he handled the ball very well. But all of those things - height, ball handling, agility - mayroon din si Cezar."
from Tommy Manotoc, former coach at Crispa - "Simple lang ang basketball kay Philip. He was one of our headiest players. He knew the game. He studied his opponents so well that he knew their every move."
from Ron Jacobs, former coach of San Miguel Beer - "Probably the player I respect more than any other was Philip Cezar. I thought he was a great defensive player and, at that time, the reputation was there were certain people who would take cheap shots at other players. Philip never did that. He really played straight up and I really respected him for that. And I respected his game."
from Tim Cone, coach of the San Mig Coffee - "He's called 'Tapal King.' He's got pretty long hands, and he's a good defender. He's awesome, he's the great reason why Crispa was successful. He does the dirty work for the team. Aside from being a good defender, he can also score if he wants. You must admire him because Crispa that time was loaded with so many good shooters like Freddie Hubalde, William Adornado and Atoy Co but Philip can still finish in double figures."
