MANILA, Philippines - Ang isports ang sinasabing bagay na nagpapalakas sa pagkatao ng isang nilalang pati na ang ginagalawan niyang pamayanan.
Sa kanyang talumpati, binigyan ni telecommunications’ tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan ng kahalagahan ang papel ng isports sa pagkakaroon ng matatag na bansa.
“At its core, sports is ethical, value-based. And that competitive sports is, by its very nature, a value activity. Sports involve fair play, respect for opponents, and appreciation of the traditions, practices and values central to a society,” ani Pangilinan sa idinaos na San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Annual Awards Night kagabi sa Alegria Lounge ng Manila Pavilion Hotel kung saan siya tumayong guest of honor.
Maliban sa tinaguriang “MVP”, naging tampok na panauhin rin si world four-division champion Manny Pacquiao na kinilalang 2008 PSA Athlete of the Year.
Sinabi ni Pangilinan na malaking bagay ang isports sa paghubog ng disiplina at pagkatao ng isang Filipino.
“Athletics is a means available for us to influence and shape ethical behavior. The role of sports in illustrating, expressing and reinforcing important values is significant and should not be ignored,” dagdag nito kasunod ang quote ni French philosopher Albert Camus. “The only context in which he (Camus) really learned ethics was sport.”
Marami ring natutunang mahahalagang leksyon sa buhay ng isang tao ang isports, dagdag ni Pangilinan.
“I love sports simply because it teaches us many things about life,” wika ni Pangilinan, presidente rin ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), na pinarangalan bilang Sports Patron of the Year.
Bukod sa SBP, ginagabayan ni Pangilinan ang Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP), nasa ilalim ng pangulo nitong si Ricky Vargas, kung saan siya umaakto bilang chair-man.
“But soon I came to realize that we may indeed be able to make a difference,” sabi ni Pangilinan sa kanyang pagsabak sa maaksyong mundo ng palakasan. (Russell Cadayona)