Delasin, the Daly City-based Fil-Am who was unanimously voted as the year’s top athlete for her remarkable rookie campaign in the US LPGA Tour, will arrive Jan. 17 to personally receive her award, the first such honor bestowed on a Fil-Am talent.
Six others will be recipients of the major awards, namely World Boxing Council flyweight champion Malcolm Tunacao, Grandmaster Buenaventura "Bong" Villamayor, racing champion Angelo Barretto, pro cager Danny Ildefonso, amateur cager Ren-Ren Ritualo and physically-challenged powerlifter Angeline Dumapong.
President Joseph Estrada has been invited to grace the rites and present the prestigious PSA Athlete of the Year award. The affair is sponsored by Red Bull and Agfa and supported by McDonald’s.
The three-hour rites, exclusively for PSA members and their guests, will be telecast on a later date by Viva-Vintage Television over IBC-13.
Also to be honored are the RP Olympians, including taekwondo jins Roberto Cruz, Eva Marie Ditan, Jasmin Strachan and Donald David Geisler and boxers Larry Semillano, Romeo Brin and brothers Arlan and Danilo Lerio, trackster Lerma Balauitan, steeplechaser Eduardo Buenavista, archer Jennifer Chan, equestrienne Toni Leviste, rower Benjie Tolentino, shooter Rasheya Jasmin Ruiz, swimmers Miguel Mendoza, Carlo Piccio, Jenny Rose Guerrero and Liza Danila, and divers Zardo Domenios and Sheila Mae Perez and paralympian javelin thrower Andres Lubin.
Citations will also be given to the deserving athletes, teams and organi-zations in recognition of their achieve-ments both in local and international sporting front and their contribution to the development of sports.
Leading the awardees are the San Miguel Beermen and the San Juan Knights (pro basketball), the La Salle Green Archers (amateur basketball), Mark Paragua (chess), Silver Story (horse of the year), Jennifer Rosales (pro golf-women), Gerard Cantada (amateur golf), Paul del Rosario (jetski), Philip Alvendia (karting), Glenn Aguilar (motocross), powerlifter Antonio Taguibao and the men’s chess Olympiad team.
Football’s Kasibulan 6-12, the Sporting Edge Management Group, Philippine Tot Baseball Foundation, Inc., Puyat Sports, Dance Sports of the Philippines and Philspada (Philippine Sports Association for the Differently-Abled) will also be cited for their contribution to RP sports by way of promoting and developing sports on the grassroots level.
In recognition of their support to RP sports through their sponsorships and involvement in sports events the PSA will also give citations to Red Bull, McDonald’s, Agfa, Milo, Adidas and the organizers of the World Volleyball Grand Prix.
Also to be given special citations are seven of the founding members of the PSA whose role in the organization of the sportswriting fraternity helped institutionalize the concept of sports journalism in the country.
They are former press secretary and Philippine STAR columnist Teddy Benigno, Rod Reyes, another former press secretary and director of the Taiwan Economic Coordinating Council, Virgilio Pantaleon, public relations consultant of the Yuchengco Group, Malaya executive editor Enrique Romualdez, Ernie Singson, vice-chair of the Journal Group, noted golf rulesman and Manila Standard columnist Taby Tabaniag and Tito Perez de Tagle, columnist and deputy secretary-general of the Basketball Association of the Phils.
Posthumous awards will also be given to taekwondo jin Gerald Pingoy, who was among those who perished in the Air Philippines flight crash, Francisco Vestil, member of the Philippine basketball team which finished 12th in the 1948 London Olympics, Justiniano Montano, former president of the World Boxing Council, and noted boxing trainer Toti Sangalang.
PSA president Lito Tacujan said invitations to the affair will be available early next week.