Arroyo invited main guest in PSA Annual Awards

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been invited to be the guest of honor and speaker during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards on Jan. 11 at the Holiday Inn Manila.

Arroyo will be the fourth president of the republic to grace the annual awards of the PSA, the country’s oldest news organization founded in 1949 by a group of writers led by former Press Secretary Teddy Benigno and Malaya executive editor Pocholo Romualdez.

Other chief executives who graced the traditional PSA Annual Awards, the country’s most prestigious in the field of sports, were former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

President Arroyo accepted a personal invitation by PSA president Lito A. Tacujan when he and fellow sports editors and columnists paid a courtesy call in Malacanang along with members of the Philippine contingent to the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games last September.

"I would like to be present during the Awards Night but please inform me in advance," the Chief Executive assured the PSA president.

The Annual Awards, sponsored by Red Bull, is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The President will confer the Top Athletes of the Year awards on world billiards champion Efren "Bata" Reyes and Fil-American golfer Dorothy Joy Delasin.

The sportswriting fraternity will also present major awards to the top athletes of various sports. Among those selected for the Major Awards are San Miguel Beer slotman Danny Ildefonso (professional basketball), international boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist Eduardo Buenavista of athletics and horse-of-the-year Wind Blown.

Also invited to the Awards Night are PSC chairman Carlos "Butch" Tuason and his board of commissioners, Philippine Olympic Committee president and POC officials, heads of the national sports associations, select members of the corporate community and regular members of sports media.

Tacujan said those who will not be able to receive their invitations before the awards rites may pick up theirs at the reception table on Jan. 11.