CARLOS Loyzaga, the most decorated Filipino basketball player of all time, finally received a long-deserved gift from the government.
The Philippine Sports Commission gave P1 million to Loyzaga Tuesday as part of his uncollected pension from the sports-financing agency over the years.
Now wheelchair-bound but still in high spirits, the 84-year-old two-time Olympian personally received his check and a plaque of appreciation from PSC chair Richie Garcia at the PSC administration building inside Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
“We appreciate his great contributions to Philippine basketball. His feats remarkably brought pride, honor and glory to the country,” said Garcia.
Loyzaga, who led the Philippines to a bronze medal in the 1954 Fiba World Championship and was named in the all-star selection of the tournament, met Garcia and PSC executive director Guillermo Iroy with his wife, Victoria, and youngest daughter Bing.
Unable to speak clearly after suffering a stroke three years ago, Loyzaga showed his appreciation by shooting invisible baskets in the air with both arms, shaking hands with the people milled around him and smiling a lot.
Garcia said the agency has been giving Loyzaga a monthly pension of P3,500 since 2012 but the player popularly known as “The Big Difference” wasn’t able to collect his retroactive bonuses since Pres. Fidel V. Ramos approved the government monthly incentives and pension act in 1997.
“There was an oversight by the previous (PSC) administrations. We’re sorry,” said Garcia.
Loyzaga, whose sons Chito and Joey followed in his footsteps as stars in the PBA in the 1990s, helped the Philippines become the best in the continent during his era.
He led the PH five to four consecutive Asian Games gold medals (1951, 1954, 1958, 1962) and two ABC (now Fiba Asia Championship) crowns (1960, 1963).