Top government officials, sports luminaries invited to PSA rites

Legislator-sportsmen, government officials and the country’s top sports leaders have been invited to grace the annual PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Awards Night Thursday at the Holiday Inn Manila.

President Estrada is the guest of honor and is expected to present the PSA Athlete of the Year award to Fil-Am golfer Dorothy Delasin in the event set at 7 p.m.

Sen. Robert Jaworski and Sen. Tito Sotto lead the distinguished guests invited to the blue-ribbon event where the top sports achievers in year 2000 will be honored and given recognition by the country’s oldest sporting organization.

Others expected to attend the event are Presidential Adviser for Flagship Projects Robert Aventajado, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban, PSC chair Carlos Tuason, POC president Celso Dayrit, GAB chair Dominador Cepeda and IOC representative Frank Elizalde and POC chief Celso Dayrit.

PSA president Lito Tacujan said invitations to the affair, exclusively for members and their guests, will be available at the PSA reception.

The other major awardees are GM Buenaventura "Bong" Villamayor, Angelo Barretto, Danny Ildefonso, Ren-Ren Ritualo, Gerard Cantada and Angeline Dumapong.

The event, sponsored by Red Bull and Agfa and supported by McDonald’s, will be telecast on a later date by Viva-Vintage Television over IBC-13.

Also to be honored are the RP Olympians, including jins Roberto Cruz, Eva Marie Ditan, Jasmin Strachan and Donald David Geisler and boxers Larry Semillano, Romeo Brin and brothers Arlan and Danilo Lerio, Lerma Bulauitan, Eduardo Buenavista, Jennifer Chan, Toni Leviste, Benjie Tolentino, Rasheya Jasmin Ruiz, Miguel Mendoza, Carlo Piccio, Jenny Rose Guerrero and Liza Danila, and Zardo Domenios and Sheila Mae Perez and paralympian javelin thrower Andres Lubin.

Citations will be given to the San Miguel Beermen and the San Juan Knights, the La Salle Green Archers, Mark Paragua, Silver Story, Jenny Rosales, Paul del Rosario, Philip Alvendia, and Glenn Aguilar, Andres Lubin, Antonio Taguibao and the men’s chess Olympiad team.

Football’s Kasibulan 6-12, the Sporting Edge Management Group, Philippine Tot Baseball Foundation, Inc., Puyat Sports, Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled and Dance Sports of the Philippines will also be cited.

Special citation will also be given to Red Bull, McDonald’s, Agfa, Milo, Adidas, Coke Go for Goal, Holiday Inn and the organizers of the World Volleyball Grand Prix.

Seven of the founding members of the PSA will also be honored. They are former press secretary and Philippine STAR columnist Teddy Benigno, Rod Reyes, Virgilio Pantaleon, Malaya executive editor Enrique Romualdez, Ernie Singson, vice-chair of the Journal Group, Manila Standard golf columnist Taby Tabaniag and Tito Perez de Tagle, columnist and deputy secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Phils.

Posthumous awards will also be given to taekwondo jin Gerald Pingoy, Francisco Vestil, member of the Philippine basketball team which finished 12th in the 1948 London Olympics, Justiniano Montano, former president of the World Boxing council, and noted boxing trainer Toti Sangalang.