Meralco can certainly look forward to brighter days in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Bolts, with Gary David at the firing end of a torrid third quarter start, dusted off undermanned San Mig Coffee, 88-78, on Monday night to make the quarterfinals in the middle of the pack for a fair chance in the first round of the playoffs at the Araneta Coliseum.

David scored 10 third quarter points, the bulk of them when the Bolts dropped a crippling 18-2 that turned a 39-41 halftime deficit into several commanding leads as Meralco ended its elimination round stint with a 5-4 record and will qualify to the quarterfinals as the fifth seed at worst.

That would mean a best-of-three series with No. 4, a pretty fair chance as the Bolts have already avoided advancing as No. 7 or No. 8 and with a twice-to-win disadvantage against either of the top two teams.

Darnell Jackson scored 31 points and had 18 rebounds for the Bolts, who missed the Philippine Cup playoffs but are looking as one of the better teams of late in this tournament.

Jared Dillinger tossed in 21 markers and David finished with 18 as Meralco won a second straight game.

James Mays led all San Mig shooters with 33 points and Peter June Simon had 13. But the Mixers sorely missed the services of Marc Pingris as a defensive stopper as the much-smaller Bolts won the rebounding battle, 45-41.

Rain or Shine was another side that enhanced its chances in the playoffs, scoring an 87-82 victory over Air21 despite getting another horrid offensive outing from import Wayne Chism.

The Elasto Painters rode the heroics of an all-Filipino crew at the most critical instances of the fourth period to build huge leads that proved enough buffer to hold off the Express in the stretch.

Rain or Shine rose to a level 4-4 card with the win, while the Express dropped to 3-5 to be in danger of becoming No. 7 and with the unenviable task of playing the No. 2 seed.

Chism scored just six points, but the Painters got balanced scoring in the second half from the all-Filipino crew that finished second to San Mig Coffee in the Philippine Cup.

Jervy Cruz had 13 points and Paul Lee 12 to pace the Painters.

San Miguel Beer holds No. 2 position at the moment at 6-2 with only Alaska having the chance to tie the Beermen and dislodging them.

Talk ’N Text, which swept all of its nine elimination round games, is the No. 1 squad.

The Beermen battle the Mixers on Easter Sunday and would need a win in order to avoid any complications, which can happen if Alaska wins its last game against San Mig Coffee, also on Sunday.

That scenario would necessitate a playoff for No. 2 between the Beermen and the Aces. Alaska has a 1-0 edge in this tournament against San Miguel after a victory on the road where it held the Beermen to just 78 points in Binan, Laguna.

Rain or Shine closes out against Barangay Ginebra in a game that the Gin Kings cannot afford to lose since it would put them in a position of advancing as one of the bottom two teams.

With a 3-5 record, the Kings are set to bring in former Best Import awardee Gabriel Freeman to shore up their hopes.

Freeman, who had prior stints with San Miguel Beer, is set to plane in Wednesday morning.