Departed athletes, sports leaders honored with posthumous awards

SPORTSMEN and friends of Philippine sports who passed away last year will be remembered in the San Miguel Corp.-philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night.

Athletes, coaches, officials and supporters of sports will be posthumously honored during Saturday’s virtual ceremony at the TV5 Media Center.

Never in recent memory has there been a long list of sportsmen who passed on to the Great Beyond than in 2020. To be honored are former Ambassador and basketball godfather Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, national basketball team coaches Januario “Aric” Del Rosario and Nic Jorge and Olympians Alfonso “Boy” Marquez and Orlando “Orly” Bauzon.

The grand matriarch of Philippine boxing Laura Elorde and the PSA’S very own Teddyvic Melendres, former sports and senior news desk editor at the Philippine Daily Inquirer and PSA president from 2009-2011, would also be honored.

A moment of silence and a special video presentation will be shown in their memory during the early part of the program presented by San Miguel Corp. and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Cignal TV.

The first ever virtual PSA Awards Night also backed by 1Pacman Partylist, Chooks-to-go, and Rain or Shine as major backers will be aired on Monday over Onesports+ from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Also on the list are Inaki Vicente, Arianne Caoili, Salvador “Buddy” Andrada, Maui Huelar, Jomar Ang, Domingo “Coach Waray” Villanueva, Gene Poliarco, Alexander Lim, Bea Luna, Junel Mendiola, Ollie Ongtawco, Yana Bautista, Oscar “Dodong” Bascon, Albert Almendralejo, Ronald Dulay, Randy Villanueva, Rudy Del Rosario, Vangie de Jesus, Sudan Daniel, Rico Navarro and Josie Veguillas.

At the top of the PSA honor roll will be pro golfer Yuka Saso, who will be receiving the prestigious Athlete of the Year Award solely given by the country’s oldest media organization headed by Manila Bulletin sports editor Tito Talao.

The other awards to be handed out are the President’s Award (Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino), Executive of the Year (Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Willie Marcial), National Sports Association (NSA) of the Year (Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines) and Major Awardees (Alex Eala, Johnriel Casimero and Pedro Taduran).

To be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Awards are former Gintong Alay Project Director Jose Romasanta, former PBA Commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios and Cojuangco, while boxing great Manny Pacquiao will receive the “Manok ng Bayan” award.

Citations and a special recognition will be given to 20 personalities and entities as well as athletes who served as frontliners during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Gretchen Ho and Carlo Pamintuan will host the event.