Perez, 8 others head PSA major awardees

Diver Sheila Mae Perez and eight others who helped Team Philippines win the overall crown in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games head the distinguished roster of major awardees to be feted by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) during its annual Awards Night.

For emerging multiple gold medal winners, Perez and fellow SEA Games standouts Alex Pagulayan (billiards), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Maristela Torres (track and field), Amaya Paz (archery), Benjamin Tolentino (rowing), John Baylon (judo), Miguel Molina (swimming) and Harry Tañamor (boxing) unanimously earned the nods of the sportswriters as recipients of major awards.

Five others — pro boxer Manny Pacquiao, golfer Jennifer Rosales, amateur cager Arwind Santos, pro cager Eric Menk and pro cyclist Warren Davadilla — are also in the roster, which will be honored along with the others during the Awards Night on Jan. 14 at the Manila Pavilion.

High on the honor roll is Team Philippines, which was named a few days ago by the 100-member, 56-year-old association as the Athlete of the Year in a tribute to its historic overall victory in the recent SEA Games.

It was the first time since 1949 that a team became the recipient of the association’s highest award.

PSA president Jimmy Cantor of Malaya said the board made up of sports editors of the leading broadsheets and tabloids will announce next week the recipients of major awards in horse racing and traditional boat racing, the runaway winner of the most outstanding NSA honor for delivering six gold medals.

Three Class A jockeys are presently locked in a close, interesting fight for the top award in horseracing, namely, many-time PSA jockey of the year honoree Patty Dilema, Jonathan Hernandez and Jessie Guce. The three are scheduled to ride in two more big races in the next few days.

In a meeting the other night, the board also unanimously approved the giving of a special citation to San Miguel Corp. for bankrolling the training expenses of 13 national sports associations. The SMC-backed sports delivered 56 of the 113 gold medals by Team Philippines with wushu accounting for 11, the most by any NSA.

Cantor said the other personalities and entities who will be cited for making the year about to end a memorable one in local sports will also be announced next week, adding that the other SEA Games gold medalists are automatic recipients of citation.

"It’s only fitting to cite all these gold medalists who did the country proud and the others who helped make 2005 a year to remember in local sports," Cantor said.

  The 21-year-old Perez won three gold medals in diving and was the unanimous choice by sportswriters to represent the athletes in accepting the Athlete of the Year award in the company of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, POC president Peping Cojuangco, and Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez during the awards rites.

  Like Perez, Tañamor was also an easy choice for the amateur boxing award. In his buildup for the SEA Games, he won two tournaments, including the tough Asian championship in September in Hanoi, Vietnam.

  For raising his winning streak to seven in the SEA Games, Baylon also made it easily as a major awardee. The Philippines won the overall championship for the first time since it joined the meet in 1977. In 1991 in Manila, the Filipinos came a fighting second overall to Indonesia, missing the crown by one gold medal.