Pangilinan Philippine sports’ veritable MVP

MANILA—To cap it all off, he has initials that underscore his worth to Philippine sports.

Manny V. Pangilinan has acted as a one-man national Olympic committee, boosting the country’s sporting programs in almost all fronts. Physical, psychological, financial, emotional. The telecommunications tycoon has affected the sports hero and the sports fan in every way.

The Smart/PLDT chief has rescued basketball from bad leadership, revitalized boxing, extended an additional lifeline to football, acted as savior to softball and fleshed out the role of benefactor to a myriad sports.

Currently, Pangilinan is engrossed with everything Olympics. From funding Smart Gilas’ bid to make it to London 2012 to financing the Amateur Basketball Association of the Philippines’ attempt to finally nail that elusive gold medal.

“I believe Filipinos are world-class and we should come together, follow MVP’s lead and help in whatever way we can,” said fellow businessman-sports patron Cecilio Pedro, Lamoiyan’s top honcho.

Pangilinan has repeatedly said his thrust is to make the Filipino athlete relevant internationally. He spares no expense in putting athletes in tournaments all over the world or flying in world-class foreign athletes to the Philippines.

“That’s the only way for us to improve in the sport,” Pangilinan once told the Inquirer. “We have to compete against those better than us.”

And so Smart Gilas gets opportunities like playing against other national teams. Boxers strut their wares in international tilts. Even the current cause of hyperventilation among sports fans—the Philippine Azkals—get to play against better football teams partly on Pangilinan money.

“There’s no point in playing against ourselves,” Pangilinan once said. “It’s like you’re not enlarging the gene pool. In-breeding will not do us any good. We have to play against the world.”

Who can forget the day Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant strutted their stuff in front of delirious sports fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum? A big morale boost, at the very least, for Smart Gilas and a select group of PBA players and an even greater emotional boost for the nation’s sports fans.

Pangilinan, also Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president, has decided to extend the Smart Gilas program to include the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA World. This, after the Nationals compete in the Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship in Wuhan, China, in September—the qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympics.

And if there’s any doubt of his all-out support for the squad, consider his vow when the program was initially kicked off.

“Whatever they need—training, budget, whatever—I think we should give our all-out support to the national team,” said Pangilinan, also the president of Meralco. “We will also solicit help from the private sector. We want this to be a broad-based support for the team.”

And if you think his checkbook opens up for basketball alone, think again. A few weeks ago, Pangilinan signed a check worth P300,000 and presented it to 15-year-old Zamboanga boxer Eumir Felix Marcial for winning a gold medal in the Aiba World Junior Boxing Championship in Kazakhstan.

“Eumir is the product of the combination of events put together by Mr. Pangilinan,” said Ricky Vargas, Abap president and top honcho of Maynilad Water.

Pangilinan is even penciled to be co-godfather of the PH delegation to the 2011 Indonesia Southeast Asian Games.

“The Philippine Sports Commission thanks Mr. Pangilinan for his support to sports,” said PSC chair Richie Garcia. “With his help, I think we’re not far into getting our first gold in the Olympics.”

“MVP through the years has been quietly but actively supporting Philippine sports,” said Joey Romasanta, the POC spokesperson. “[W]e can expect his involvement to provide a boost in our quest for our first Olympic gold.”

His initials spell it all: MVP.