All set for PSA Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of PH sports

MANILA, Philippines—The PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association), the country’s oldest print media organization, celebrates its annual PSA Awards Night on March 3 at the historic Manila Hotel, with boxer Nonito Donaire Jr. and billiards hero Dennis Orcollo sharing co-Athletes of the Year honors for the year 2011.

Vice President Jejomar Binay has been invited as guest of honor, according to Tempo sports editor Ray Bancod, this year’s PSA head.

Widely regarded as the “Oscars” of Philippine sports, the PSA Awards Night pays tribute to the country’s outstanding athletes of the past year and cites individuals and business firms with hearts of gold. It was launched on April 15, 1950 at the Crystal Room of the Avenue Hotel and selected tennis great Felicisimo “Mighty Mite” Ampon as its first Athlete of the Year. Eleven other top athletes likewise received PSA scrolls of recognition.

Herewith is the complete list of the 1950 PSA awardees: Felicisimo Ampon, Athlete of the Year; Luis “Moro” Lorenzo, basketball; Larry Montes, golf; Tirso del Rosario, boxing; Lolita Ramirez and Norma Guerrero, swimming; Sotero Alcantara, men’s swimming; Aurelio Amante, athletics; Bernabe Lovina, athletics; Estrella Alburo, tennis; Emilio Ugarte, football and Teodulo Viray, baseball.

The special guest then was Jorge B. Vargas, president of the now defunct Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (PAAF), the forerunner of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The PSA Awards was patterned after the tradition of leading newspapers in the United States of handing out awards to the top American athletes of the previous year. Jimmy Lacsamana, sports editor of the Manila Daily Bulletin, was the PSA’s first president while the other officials were Zacarias “Taby” Tabaniag, Evening News, vice president; Teodoro “Teddy” Benigno, Philippines Herald, secretary; and Ricky Llanos, Manila Times, treasurer.

The members included Enrique Romualdez, Manila Times; Ernie Singson, Bulletin; Filemon Tutay, Free Press; legendary radio broadcaster Willie Hernandez of DZPI and dzRH; George Wong, Commercial News; Eddie Ticzon, Times; Henry Quema, Ben Peñaranda, Juan Quezada and Ralph Mendoza, Herald; Pete Hernandez, Chronicle; Orlando Aquino, Charter; Johnny Balonso, Evening News; and associate members Hank Myers, Chronicle; and Jessie Ortiz, Voz de Manila.

Through the years, the PSA Awards Night has honored (except during the martial law years when none was held) the best and brightest athletes, among them, six-time world bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno, sprinter Lydia de Vega, long jump queen Elma Muros, lady bowlers Bong Coo and Arianne Cerdeña, pro boxers Dodie Peñalosa, Luisito Espinosa, Gerry Peñalosa and six-division title-holder Manny Pacquiao; swimmer Eric Buhain, archer Jo-Ann Chan, gymnast Pia Adelle Reyes, golfers Ramon Brobio and Frankie Miñoza and billiards idols Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Orcollo.

The PSA also named Athletes of the Millennium boxing legends Gabriel “Flash” Elorde and Pancho Villa, amateur boxers Anthony Villanueva and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, the Philippines’ first ever Olympic silver medal winners during the 1964 Tokyo and 1996 Atlanta Games, respectively; Asia’s first chess Grandmaster Eugene Torre, basketball phenom Carlos Loyzaga, swimmer Teofilo Yldefonso, bowlers Nepomuceno and Coo, tennis’ Ampon and sprinter De Vega.

Selected Sports Leaders of the Millennium were Florencio Campomanes, former president of the International Chess Federation; Sen. Ambrosio Padilla, a basketball Hall of Famer; Gonzalo “Lito” Puyat, past president of the International Basketball Federation and all-around athlete and exemplary secretary-treasurer of the defunct PAAF, Dr. Regino Ylanan.