PSA honors sports greats, scribes

MANILA, Philippines - Sports greats and officials who passed away in 2009 will all be given a short tribute by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) when it holds its Annual Awards Night presented by Coca-Cola two weeks from now at the Manila Hotel.

Two-time Olympian Eduardo Pacheco, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) founding commissioner Leo Prieto and legendary car racer Pocholo Ramirez Jr. are three of the 12 people to be honored and remembered during the event set on March 1.

Others in the list include Angel “Pappy” Nepomuceno, winningest coach in Philippine bowling history and father of six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno, Olympian weightlifter Rodrigo Del Rosario, boxing manager and promoter Rod Nazario, former PBA chairman and Red Bull team manager Tony Chua, long-time Little League official Serge Bernal, Muay Association of the Philippines president Robert Valdez, Powerlifting Association of the Philippines vice-president Dominic Cabalza and sports editors Roger Flores and Virgilio “Boy” Manuel.

As a tribute by the country’s sportswriting fraternity, a minute of silence and prayer will be offered to all of them during the simple two-hour rites also presented by Smart, Pacific Online System Corporation, the Philippine Sports Commission, Harbour Centre, PCSO and Accel.

For this year, the country’s oldest media organization, composed of editors and sportswriters from the different national broadsheets and tabloids, is going to bestow upon boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, the Athlete of the Decade award.

Likewise, for the first time in its 61-year history, the PSA will be having an all-female winner of its Athlete of the Year award, composed of pool player Rubilen Amit, long jumper Marestella Torres and taekwondo jins Cecille Alarilla, Janice Lagman and Rani Ann Ortega.

Billiards legend Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, on the other hand, are among those to be honored with a major award, joining boxer Annie Albania, basketball star JayJay Helterbrand, netters Cecil Mamiit and Francis Casey Alcantara, cyclist Joel Calderon, judoka John Baylon, chess whiz Wesley So, golfers Chihiro Ikeda and Elmer Salvador, trackster Arniel Ferreira, jockey Jesus Guce, champion horse Don Enrico and world boxing champions Rodel Mayol, Nonito Donaire Jr., Brian Viloria, Donnie Nietes, and Marvin Sonsona in the roster.

Special awards, meanwhile, will be given to the 38 gold medal winners in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos, with the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) the recipient of the National Sports Association of the Year.