MVP to speak on Gilas journey in PBA scribes’ tribute to heroes

MANILA, Philippines - Manny V. Pangilinan, the country’s foremost basketball patron and prime mover of the Philippine cage program, will speak on Tuesday’s “A Banquet of Heroes” of the PBA Press Corps presented by Meralco at Wack Wack in Mandaluyong.

The business tycoon, who bankrolls Gilas-Pilipinas, will talk of the journey of the National Five back into the World Championship stage in one of the highlights of the affair where the best and brightest talents in the past PBA season will be feted.

Team PBA, which Pangilinan is a part of together with other team owners Ramon Ang, Bert Lina, Mikee Romero, George Chua, Raymund Yu and Terry Que, and Wilfred Uytengsu, is the odds-on choice to win the Executive of the Year trophy named after the late Crispa bossman Danny Floro.

The formal affair is slated to start at 7 p.m. and will be emceed by Quinito Henson, Sev Sarmenta and Erika Padilla. The night will also have members of the 1973 and 1986 champion Asian Basketball Confederation teams toasting the new National players.

The PBA broke all existing box-office records in the season that passed with the team owners making their own sacrifices by allowing for the change in the calendar while lending their players to national cause.

Grand Slam-winning coaches Norman Black of Talk ‘N Text and Tim Cone of San Mig Coffee will be disputing the Coach of the Year award, which is in honor of Baby Dalupan, along with darkhorse Luigi Trillo of Alaska.

Hector Calma, Jerry Codiñera and Franz Pumaren of the 1986 team will also be there to fete the current batch of Nationals.

Bogs Adornado, to whom the Comeback Player of the Year award is named after, Jimmy Mariano, Manny Paner and Yoyong Martirez of the 1973 team have confirmed attendance.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Musong Castillo, the outgoing PBA Press Corps president, is inviting management, players and officials of the teams as well as fellow sportswriters to the affair.