Olympic hero to get PSC pension

Concerned sports officials and sportsmen have pledged support for Anthony Villanueva, the Olympic Filipino hero who had offered to sell his 1964 Tokyo Games silver medal for P1 million which he hopes to use to help tide him over these difficult times.

Villanueva, 54, was one of the Millennium Awardees during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual rites and he was deluged with television interviews following his announcement that he would offer his medal for $26,000 or P1 million to start a new life.

PSC chair Butch Tuason, one of the guest honors in the blue-ribbon affair, personally sought out Villanueva after he was bestowed the honor together with l0 other Millennium awardees, and offered the boxer-turned-trainer of a PSC monthly pension.

"We knew of his plight and I personally asked him to write a letter requesting for assistance and I will take it up with the PSC board. I am sure we can work things out so the PSC can provide a monthly pension," Tuason said.

Earlier, Lorrie Almeda Dionisio, who was a technical assistant during the tenure of former POC president Cristy Jalasco, gave an undisclosed amount to Villanueva, a gesture she said she made "on behalf of my late father."

Dionisio was the daughter of the late Gov. Francisco Almeda, known as the father of amateur cycling and also a posthumous PSA awardee.

She said that it would be easy to start a fund drive for Villanueva since "there would be a lot of sportsmen and government officials who could lend assistance."