Ethics best learned in sports - MVP

MANILA, Philippines - Business magnate Manny V. Pangilinan yesterday stressed the importance of sports in molding the values in men and shaping the framework of society.

Pangilinan made the point during his speech in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night at the Alegria Lounge of the Manila Pavilion Hotel where he was the guest of honor.

“At its core, sports is ethical, value-based. And that competitive sports is, by its very nature, a value activity. Sports involve fair play, respect for opponents, and appreciation of the traditions, practices and values central to a society,” Pangilinan told his audience, including the country’s top sports officials and athletes led by 2008 Athlete of the Year Manny Pacquiao.

“Athletics is a means available for us to influence and shape ethical behavior. The role of sports in illustrating, expressing and reinforcing important values is significant and should not be ignored.”

Then quoting the great French philosopher Albert Camus, Pangilinan said, “the only context in which he (Camus) really learned ethics was sport.”

2Those principles taught by sports, combined with passion are what make athletes succeed in their respective fields, he added.

“It is passion that is rooted in basic values such as excellence, determination and hard work, integrity, honesty and fair play. These values in turn connect you to a purpose beyond the ordinary,” said the chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and the top honcho of Smart Communications Inc.

Pangilinan personally led in honoring the 60-man awardees recognized by the country’s sportswriting fraternity for the excellent job they did in 2008.

Apart from the Athlete of the Year trophy he received, Pacquiao was also elevated to the PSA Hall of Fame, which served as one of the highlights of the two-hour rite.

Pangilinan himself was bestowed the Sports Patron of the Year award for his support to Philippine sports.

“I love sports simply because it teaches us many things about life,” said the man, better known as MVP, in his speech.

The guest of honor also made a brief report on the progress undertaken by the two sports federations he’s deeply immersed at the moment – basketball and boxing.

He emphasized the steps made by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas of which he is the president, regarding the formation of the national team pool under coach Rajko Toroman and its subsequent training in Serbia in late March and the US this April in what should be the first major step in the country’s bid for a return to the Olympics.

He likewise lauded new Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Ricky Vargas, secretary-general Patrick Gregorio and executive director Ed Piczon for implementing a nationwide program to discover and inject new talents in a sport where he said the country “stands the best chance of winning an Olympic gold.”

Pangilinan admitted he wasn’t exactly a boxing fan “until Manny Pacquiao came along.” 

He also said that he felt amused when the idea to become involved in the “sweet science” was initially broached to him.

“But soon I came to realize that we may indeed be able to make a difference,” MVP added.