WINNERS IN HANOI GET CITATIONS
THE gold medal winners in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam lead a long list of personalities who will be honored with Citations in the San Miguel Corp.-philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night on March 6 at the Diamond Hotel grand ballroom.
Olympian boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Rogen Ladon, together with triple gold winners Ana Nualla and Sean Aranar of dancesports and the Gilas Pilipinas women’s team are among those to be cited with special awards from the oldest media organization in the country.
The Philippines bagged 52 golds in Hanoi to finish a strong fourth during the biennial meet that was twice rescheduled because of the pandemic.
Olympians Hidilyn Diaz-naranjo, EJ Obiena and Carlos Yulo, along with other SEA Games gold medal winners Rubilen Amit, Meggie Ochoa, Carlo Biado, Johan Chua and Vanessa Sarno, however, will no longer be given citations because they will be honored with higher awards during the gala night presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV and ably supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee, Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Milo, Smart, MVP Sports Foundation, Rain or Shine, 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, Philippine Basketball Association, OKBET and the International Container Terminal Services Inc.
Yulo, Obiena, Amit, Biado, Chua, Ochoa and Sarno are part of a group to be feted with Major Awards, while Diaz-naranjo gets the distinction as the PSA Athlete of the Year for the second straight time.
Also to be cited besides the SEA Games gold medalists are Chezka Centeno, Marie Antoinette San Diego, Efren Bagamasbad, Ronald Lomotos, Philippine Navy Standard Insurance, pencak silat team, Letran Knights, Joyce Reboton, Dottie Ardina, Rianne Malixi, Kaizen dela Serna, Andrico Mahilum, Mark Julius Rodelas and Sandi Abahan.
Entities receiving the same award are Philippine National Volleyball Federation, and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
Tennis prodigy Alex Eala will receive the President’s Award and the late athletics great Lydia De Vega will be inducted in the PSA Hall of Fame.