Magnificent 7, people’s champ are year’s best

Eight gallant men, with the Filipino boxing idol at the helm, stood at the forefront of a season rich in success and high points for Philippine sports.

Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, pool champions Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, bowler Biboy Rivera and Asian Games gold medalists Joan Tipon, Violito Payla, Antonio Gabica and Rene Catalan did the country proud with their respective exploits and, together, helped make 2006 truly memorable for the nation.

Their heroic deeds deserved nothing but the highest honor from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), which selected all eight personalities as its 2006 Athletes of the Year in the PSA-SMC Annual Awards on Jan. 18 at the Mall of Asia.

The move was another unprecedented one for the 58-year-old association after it bestowed on Team Philippines the Athlete of the Year honor in 2005 following the country’s first-ever overall championship in the Southeast Asian Games.

On top of the highest award to be presented on the eight sportsmen, Pacquiao will also be the recipient of the once-in-a-lifetime PSA Bayani ng Lahi trophy in recognition of his inspiring victories over Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales that brought boundless joy to an adoring nation.

"The PSA was one in choosing all eight of them as deserving of the Athlete of the Year honor," said PSA president Jimmy Cantor of Malaya.

"It is with deep pride and honor for the association to recognize them in a simple but meaningful rites two weeks from now," he added.

Top sports officials of the country led by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William "Butch" Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco are expected to join the honorees during the affair that starts at 3 p.m.

Pacquiao, a three-time recipient of the Athlete of the Year honor from 2002-04, made a strong case for the award with his stirring knockout wins over Morales in two action-packed fights in Las Vegas that generated records in both pay-per-view and live attendance.

Not to be outdone, Reyes did his thing by claiming two out of the four legs at stake in the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour. He also won the biggest prize purse ever in billiards — a total of $500,000 — when he topped the IPT World 8-Ball Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, before teaming up with bosom buddy Francisco "Django" Bustamante to take the inaugural World Cup of Pool in South Wales.

Alcano’s magical ride in the World Pool Championship in Manila was just as exhilarating, so did Rivera’s perfect 300-game in the final of the World Men’s Bowling Championship formerly known as the World FIQ.

Also unforgettable was the Asiad adventure of Payla, Tipon, Gabica and Catalan in far away Qatar, where each won a gold medal that ensured the country’s best finish in the quadrennial meet since 1962.

Apart from the eight Athlete of the Year recipients, major awards will also be given to six other individuals, namely, James Yap (pro basketball), Ken Bono (amateur basketball), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Santy Barnachea (cycling), jockey Jonathan Hernandez (horseracing) and Real Spicy (horseracing).

The rest of the honorees will be made known in the coming days.

Established in 1949, the PSA is the oldest media organization in the country and has a present membership of about 100 sportswriters from the national broadsheets and tabloids.

The list of awardees

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR — Manny Pacquiao, Efren "Bata" Reyes, Ronnie Alcano, Biboy Rivera, Joan Tipon, Violito Payla, Antonio Gabica, Rene Catalan.

BAYANI NG LAHI — Manny Pacquiao

MAJOR AWARDS — James Yap (pro basketball), Ken Bono (amateur basketball), Juvin Pagunsan (golf), Santy Barnachea (cycling), Jonathan Hernandez (horseracing) and Real Spicy (horseracing).