 At the end of the 2003 season, he won the Rookie of the Year award by a huge margin after averaging 14.5 points, 7.02 assists and 6.54 rebounds per outing while shooting a decent clip of 35.4 percent from the three-point region.In the 2004–05 PBA season, Alapag continued his remarkable play by winning his second mythical first team selection and co-MVP honors with teammate Taulava in the All-Star Game held in Cebu.He also led the Phone Pals to two straight Finals appearance but failed to win another championship against the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Cup and against San Miguel Beermen in the Fiesta Conference.