Salud leaves indelible mark in Phl sports

MANILA, Philippines - The passing of lawyer Rudy Salud has left a big void in Philippines sports whose destiny was shaped in large part by the former World Boxing Council (WBC) secretary general, Games and Amusements Board secretary-general, Philippine Racing Commission executive director, Manila Jockey Club president and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner.

But as Salud was known for his vision, he made sure there would be no stepping back in propelling Philippine sports to greater heights – beyond his life. For sure, the void is conspicuous because Salud was, like Manny Pacquiao, one in more than a million. Yet, in his absence, Salud will be fondly remembered for inspiring the leaders who followed in his footsteps, the leaders who continue to keep alive his uncompromising commitment to excellence.

Salud worked his way to immortality by crafting the WBC Constitution and By-Laws, laying the groundwork for Filipino fighters to conquer the world, providing a beneficial means of livelihood for Filipino basketball players through Asia’s first play-for-pay league and setting lofty standards in every Filipino athlete’s quest to achieve honor and glory for the homeland.

God and country were Salud’s driving force. He drew strength from his faith in the Lord and courage from his patriotism. Salud often said his wife Josephine, fondly called Pampin, was his conduit to the Man upstairs. But everyone knew he, too, had a direct line to heaven. It was obvious that Salud had a special mission from above – he was destined to do great things and with God’s guidance, got the job done.

Salud would’ve turned 73 on Sunday. How appropriate that he died last Monday, March 7, the feast day of St. Perpetua who was known for her gift of the Lord’s speech. In her dying breath, St. Perpetua said, “Stand fast in the faith and love one another.” Throughout his distinguished career as a sports official and corporate tax lawyer, Salud enjoyed an enviable reputation as a man of wisdom with strong faith and compassion.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman once credited the existence of the governing body to the Philippines because it was a Filipino who wrote the Constitution and Manila hosted the historic convention that laid its foundations in 1967. As WBC secretary-general, Salud authored the Constitution that was ratified in the Manila assembly.

Salud gave Sulaiman his big break in world boxing when he appointed the Mexican as deputy secretary-general in 1968. Salud and Justiniano Montano, another Filipino, ended their terms in 1971 and four years later, Sulaiman was voted president, a position he has now held for over three decades. Montano served as WBC president when Salud was secretary-general. In 2007, Sulaiman aptly presented Salud with the WBC lifetime achievement award.

“When Don Jose presented me with the WBC lifetime achievement award, I almost melted because he called me his boss and mentor,” said Salud. “I accepted the honor in behalf of our country.”

While he was the WBC secretary-general, Salud acted as chairman of the world championship and ratings committees. Bobby Naidoo, in his book “The Story of the World Boxing Council,” wrote, “Montano and Salud worked solidly to consolidate world unity in boxing” – a tribute to their efforts in galvanizing the sport’s fractious global community.

In 1988, Salud became the PBA commissioner with the league’s membership reduced to five teams. When he stepped down in 1992, the PBA had been resuscitated to eight teams and brought back on track. “We learned much from Attorney Salud in terms of being able to run the PBA effectively,” said commissioner Jun Bernardino who ruled from 1993 to 2002. “He personally looked over things and saw to it that everything that needed to be done was done. He was prepared for any eventuality. Even before he took to the field, he had already won the battle. He had an uncanny way of anticipating situations and coming up with the right solutions.” PBA legend Ronnie Magsanoc noted, “Kung kay Sonny Jaworski, utang ng PBA ang popularity ng liga, kay Rudy Salud, integrity – nagtiyaga siya para sa liga, iba iyung stature niya.” In 2005, Salud was with the first batch enshrined into the PBA’s Hall of Fame.

A consummate sportsman, Salud wasn’t only passionate about boxing and basketball but also cockfighting and horse racing. In 1985, he partnered with Richard Bates to put up a top-flight cockfighting stable. “Richard was part of our family,” said Salud. “We weren’t only partners in sports but we are also close friends until the end. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.” Bates died in 2008. Even in his later years, Salud never lost his fascination with fighting cocks and enjoyed watching the action in the sabungan.

Salud’s love for boxing led him to take care of fighters Gerry Penalosa and Z Gorres at the turn of the millennium. He introduced the value of healthy eating in preparing a fighter for a bout and sought clinical nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta’s advice to lay out a diet program. His appreciation of the niceties of boxing made for expert analysis and sportswriters often called for his opinion of big fights.

Before Pacquiao took on Oscar de la Hoya in 2008, Salud virtually predicted the outcome. He said experts who gave Pacquiao no chance to beat the bigger De la Hoya missed the point. “Manny could put on four to five pounds after the weigh-in which is just right,” he said. “He’ll keep his speed. But Oscar’s body will go back to its natural weight so he’ll probably shoot up to over 10 percent, meaning a lot of accumulated moisture in the body. I don’t think Oscar will be able to overpower Manny who’s too fast for him. I don’t remember anyone calling Roy Jones moving up to challenge John Ruiz for the heavyweight title an absurd thing.”

Salud hailed Pacquiao as one of the three greatest Filipinos recognized all over the world for bringing honor to the country. The others in his list were Carlos P. Romulo and President Cory Aquino. “A few years ago, before Manny even beat David Diaz, Oscar and the others, I bumped into President Noynoy on the second floor of Dulcinea on Morato,” he once recounted. “President Noynoy was not yet our president, of course. I told him that his mother, Romulo and Manny were the greatest Filipinos ever. I consider Manny to be the greatest fighter of all time. He has given the country such a positive recognition globally.”