EIGHT gallant men, with a ferocious warrior
at the helm, stood at the forefront of a season rich in
success and high points for Philippine sports.
Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, pool
champions Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, bowler Biboy
Rivera and Asian Games gold medalists Joan Tipon, Violito
Payla, Antonio Gabica and Rene Catalan did the country proud
with their respective exploits and, together, helped make 2006
a truly memorable one for the Filipino people.
Their heroic deeds deserve nothing but the
highest honor from the Philippine Sportswriters Association,
which selected all eight personalities as its 2006 Athletes of
the Year in the PSA-SMC Annual Awards on Jan. 18 at the SM
Mall of Asia.
The move is unprecedented anew for the
58-year-old association after it bestowed on Team Philippines
the Athlete of the Year honor in 2005 following the country’s
historic, first ever overall championship in the Southeast
Asian Games.
On top of the highest award to be presented
on the eight sportsmen, Pacquiao will also be the recipient of
the PSA Bayani ng Lahi trophy in recognition of his inspiring
victories over Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales that brought
boundless joy to an adoring nation and touched the lives of
many Filipinos.
"The PSA was one in choosing all eight of
them as deserving of the Athlete of the Year honor," said PSA
President Jimmy Cantor of Malaya.
"It is with deep pride and honor for the
association to recognize them in simple but meaningful rites
two weeks from now," he added.
Top sports officials of the country led by
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez
and Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose ‘Peping’
Cojuangco Jr. are expected to join the honorees during the
affair that starts at 3 p.m.
Pacquiao, a three-time recipient of the
Athlete of the Year honor from 2002-04, made a strong case for
the award with his stirring knockout wins over Morales in two
action-packed fights in Las Vegas that generated records in
both pay-per-view and live attendance.
Not to be outdone, Reyes topped two of the
four legs disputed in the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour. He
also won the biggest prize purse ever in
billiards–$500,000–when he topped the IPT World 8-Ball
Championship in Reno, Nevada. He teamed up with bosom buddy
Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante to rule the inaugural World Cup
of Pool in South Wales.
Alcano’s magical ride in the World Pool
Championship in Manila last November was just as exhilarating,
along with Rivera’s victory in the finals of the World Men’s
Bowling Championship formerly known as the World FIQ. On his
way to the finals, Rivera scored a perfect game.
Also unforgettable was the Asiad adventure
of Payla, Tipon, Gabica and Catalan in faraway Qatar, where
each won a gold medal that ensured the country’s best finish
in the quadrennial meet since 1962.
Apart from the eight Athlete of the Year
recipients, major awards will also be given to six other
individuals, namely, James Yap (pro basketball), Ken Bono
(amateur basketball), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Santy Barnachea
(cycling), jockey Jonathan B. Hernandez (horseracing) and Real
Spicy (horseracing).
The rest of the honorees will be announced
in the coming days.
Established in 1949, the PSA is the oldest media
organization in the country and has a present membership of
about 100 sportswriters from national broadsheets and
tabloids.
