He played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles during his collegiate career, in which he now serves as an assistant coach.
The San Beda Red Cubs won the 2002 NCAA juniors' basketball title with Arao as their starting center.
[1] Arao then played collegiate basketball in Ateneo de Manila University from 2003 to 2007.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles reached the UAAP finals in 2003 and 2006, and fell short each time.
[4] Arao was chosen as one of Yeng Guiao's deputies in the Philippine national team during the buildup for the 2018 Asian Games and 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.