THE STORIES of great achievements and courage poured like vintage wine last Thursday at the “Pagpupugay” tribute to sports heroes at Resorts World Manila Theatre.
The evening was too short to tell all the stories but enough to open the bottle of heroism again as tales of the legends like boxers Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, Anthony Villanueva, Flash Elorde and Onyok Velasco; high jumper Simeon Toribio; hurdler Miguel White; golfer Ben Arda; swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, football great Paulino Alcantara; cue master Efren Reyes; bowlers Paeng Nepomuceno, Arianne Cerdeña, Lita dela Rosa and Bong Coo; tennis giant Felicisimo Ampon; chess grandmaster Eugene Torre and others resurfaced.
The outstanding national basketball players of the past were also there like Ramoncito Campos, Tony Genato, Bonnie Carbonell, Ramon Fernandez, Yoyong Martirez, Samboy Lim, Alvin Patrimonio, Danny Florencio as well as current stars Chris Tiu and Marc Pingris. Legendary Filipino cager Caloy Loyzaga was scheduled to come but had to be hospitalized just before the event.
The generations that saw their feats relived the great sporting moments while the younger ones picked up stories whispered by the parents who brought them along for the tribute.
Broadcaster Chino Trinidad spearheaded this initial salvo of remembering. He patiently dug up stories and memorabilia of each of the honorees. Then, he put all of these in an exhibit graciously hosted by Resorts World for two weeks. Lastly, he brought the sports community together last Thursday for one great toast to these heroes. This should be just the first of many more tributes, as more deeds of sports heroism and triumph are unearthed.
Trinidad’s determined passion for our heroes of the past should inspire leaders in other fields to launch their own “Pagpupugay.” This effort tells us that even as technology and social media have turned life into a real-time time affair, there is time and space to honor all those who have gone before us.
It is downright easy today to lambast what is wrong in Philippine sports: The endless play of politics and self-interests, the insufficient funds and the lack of training and exposure that have led to our steady decline from an elite position to the cellar of medal counts in international competitions. Just punch a few keys, make a connection and soon, opinions can fly and begin trending patterns.
But if we recall simple times when money was never really the main issue and when Filipino athletes were champions on international stages, then we can be inspired anew to transcend whatever differences or shortcomings we have today. We may be too obsessed with how many medals we win in a multisport event and what place we finish in the standings when all we really need are a few good men and women who will champion our sporting campaigns.
Long after the last confetti of “Pagpupugay” lands on the floor and the laurels heaped anew on our sporting legends are over, let’s keep them and their feats alive in our collective memories. The next best tribute we can give is to continue to make sports meaningful in our constantly changing country that sometimes has a very short memory.