MANNY V. Pangilinan, the country’s foremost basketball patron and prime mover of the Gilas-Pilipinas cage program, will be guest speaker in Tuesday’s “A Banquet of Heroes” of the PBA Press Corps presented by Meralco at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club 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, composed of Pangilinan and other team owners as Ramon S. 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 occasion will also have members of the 1973 and 1986 champion Asian Basketball Confederation teams toasting the new National players.
The Inquirer’s Musong R. Castillo, the outgoing PBA Press Corps president, is inviting management, players and officials of the teams as well as fellow sportswriters to the affair.