A time for love, sharing

The Christmas season is back and for this column, it means one thing – the time for love, sharing and giving.

For the 10th straight year, we’re running our Christmas contest where we’re giving away lots of prizes, courtesy of our sponsors, benefactors, friends and colleagues. This is our small way of expressing our thanks to you for your support throughout the year.

It’s easy to join the contest. Just write your answers to three questions found in the next paragraph and why you read The Philippine Star (in 100 words or less) on a sheet of paper, send to The Philippine Star Sports Section (R. Oca Jr. and Railroad Streets, Port Area, Manila) with your name, age, signature, telephone number, address and occupation (if student, what grade or year, course, school) on or before Friday, Dec. 18. An original copy of a Philippine Star masthead (only for issues dated Dec. 8 to 18, 2009) must be attached to each entry – one masthead, one entry.

The three questions are:

1. Who were the MVPs in the NBA and PBA last season?

2. Who was the Filipina gold medalist in boxing at the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam last month? (Hint: She was a silver medalist as a bantamweight at the 2008 World Championships and the country’s only gold medalist in boxing, male or female, at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok.)

3. In what city and country will the 2010 Asian Games be held?

You may send in as many entries as possible but every entry must be attached with an original copy of a Philippine Star masthead taken from the issues earlier specified.

We will choose 25 winners. Each winning entry must contain the correct answers to the three questions and all the other requirements, including the copy of a Philippine Star masthead, age, telephone number and others. An entry that is picked but does not contain all the requirements will be disqualified.

As always, we promise big prizes for our winners. We are now in the process of gathering the prizes. As the prizes come in, we will acknowledge the donors in this column.

The winners will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 20, in a special column where we will name all the donors of our contest. Winners will be asked to claim their prizes at the Philippine Star office on Tuesday, Dec. 22. A photograph of the winners will be taken for publication in the sports section of The Philippine Star.

Don’t fail to join our Christmas contest and get a chance to share in the blessings of our benefactors, sponsors, friends and colleagues. Send in your entries now.

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The PBA’s first Rookie of the Year is making a bid for public office in his first attempt as a political candidate in the third district of Pampanga.

Gil Cortez, 53, is running for provincial board member under the Liberal Party. There are three slots available for the district and 10 candidates are in contention.

For Cortez, serving the people is nothing new. In the last 18 years, Cortez has been the provincial sports director, working with four different governors – Bren Guiao, Lito Lapid, Mark Lapid and Ed Panlilio. He has long been known as the sports authority in Pampanga.

Now, Cortez said it’s time to make a difference at a higher level as an elected official.

“I’ve served my province for the last 18 years and now, I’m hoping to serve my district in a capacity where I know I can be even more effective,” said Cortez whose wife is a niece of former Pampanga Gov. Estelito Mendoza.

Cortez played for Toyota, Mariwasa, Gilbey’s Gin and U-Tex in a five-year PBA career that ended in 1980. He averaged 7.1 points in 118 total games.

Shortly after the Philippine Football Federation’s premature announcement that FIFA had elevated the Philippines to No. 155 in the world rankings, an adjustment was made, resulting in a demotion to No. 165.

 “Once again, the PFF spoke too soon,” said a football aficionado. “The new ranking released by FIFA has the Philippines down 10 ranks. Note that the FIFA ranking system disregards the boys youth division such as the under-16. If that were included, we would have even lost more ranks.”

In an effort to reverse the tide, the PFF recently hired Desmond Bulpin of England to coach the national team. But unless the PFF shows vision and direction in laying out a plan of action for a nationwide rebirth in the sport, Bulpin will wind up frustrated – unfortunately, at the country’s expense.