Salute to Lasallian athletes

A highlight of La Salle’s 100th anniversary celebration in the Philippines was the recognition of outstanding graduates in a program called “One La Salle Night of Excellence” during the three-day Alumni Association Centennial World Congress at the De La Salle Santiago Zobel campus in Ayala Alabang last Friday.

San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo (Danding) Cojuangco Jr. was conferred the title of Brother in the order of Madame de Maillefer “for living the Lasallian mission of devotion to nation-building.” He was particularly cited for initiating Project FREE (Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence) which has provided scholarships to over 1,000 public school teachers for masteral and doctorate studies in Negros Occidental and is now offering the same opportunity to more than 2,000 public school teachers in Tarlac in partnership with La Salle, Tarlac State University and the Department of Education.

Named distinguished Lasallian awardees were Sen. Sergio Osmena, III, the late Br. Cecilio Hojilla and Guam developer Alfred Ysrael. The Lasallian achievement awardees were Hawaii-based ophthalmologist Dr. Jorge Camara, writer Jose (Butch) Dalisay, philanthropist Gene de los Reyes, information technology whiz Winston Damarillo, malaria vaccine discoverer Dr. Rhoel Dinglasan, RCBC president Lorenzo Tan and BDO president Nestor Tan.

The sports achievement awardees were wakeboarder Samantha Bermudez, Azkals skipper Aly Borromeo, world Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion May Masuda and PBA star Ren-Ren Ritualo.

Bermudez made the biggest splash of her sports career this year when she ruled the professional division of the Wake Park World Series in the Ultimate Wake Championships. She has also topped the Philippine Wakeboard National Open, the Asian Wake Park Championships and the Lago de Oro Perpetual Cup.

Borromeo went up on stage to receive his award from Alumni Association president Henry Atayde and La Salle vice chancellor Br. Bernie Oca in crutches. He underwent surgery to repair an ACL tear in his right knee last Wednesday but couldn’t miss this event of a lifetime. His father Pocholo, also a La Salle graduate, mother Mary Ann and girlfriend Ines were in the audience proudly applauding the Azkals top defender. Borromeo has been the national football team skipper since 2004. He’s a two-time MVP in the United Football League and a two-time Player of the Year awardee. 

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Masuda became the first-ever Filipino gold medalist at the World Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships in Long Beach in 2009. A third degree blue belter, she took the lightfeatherweight crown in the prestigious competition. Masuda, whose Japanese-American father Douglas is a well-known lawyer and an Elvis impersonator (he showed up in a colorful Presley costume), has been unbeatable in several major local and international tournaments, including the Pan Asia Championships, the Philippine Open and the Rolla-Palooza Copa Manila. While competing all over the world in this gruelling sport, Masuda still managed to graduate with honors in psychology at La Salle.

Ritualo was the anchor of the Green Archers’ four-peat in the UAAP men’s senior basketball championships from 1998-99 to 2001-02. He was the UAAP Rookie of the Year in 1997 and bagged a pair of finals MVP trophies. Ritualo was also PBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and today, remains a crack gunner in the pros. His jersey number is one of only four retired by La Salle.

Inducted into the La Salle Sports Hall of Fame were football’s Freddie Xerez-Burgos, football’s Macky Cui, jai alai’s Tony Garmendia, muay thai’s Vincent Soberano, basketball’s Joseph Uichico and football’s “first family” Goy Vicente and his sons Inaki and Robbie.

Xerez-Burgos, now a successful real estate developer and a community leader, started out as a junior varsity player at La Salle in 1963. Even at a young age, he was drafted to play for the Tanduay football club. Xerez-Burgos played on the Philippine youth team that competed at the Asian Championships and the national senior squad that saw action in Japan in 1965. Aside from playing football for La Salle, he was the Green Archers’ head cheerleader for basketball in 1964 and 1965. A well-rounded athlete, Xerez-Burgos also played on the La Salle senior varsity volleyball team.

Cui was the La Salle junior football team captain when the varsity took the NCAA title in 1961. He played with the Philippine youth squad that competed at the Asian Championships in Penang in 1963 and suited up for the national team that battled a slew of visiting foreign clubs in the ‘60s. As a fixture in the commercial leagues, Cui was most known for his exploits with the YCO club. Garmendia was born in Morocco to Spanish parents. His father Agustin relocated to Manila to pursue a jai-alai career. Garmendia entered La Salle at the age of seven and by the time he finished high school, was ready to turn pro at the fronton. He was named Rookie of the Year and went from Junior A grade to senior A in only a little over a year. Garmendia was hailed as one of the greatest pelotaris who ever played the game in the country.

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Soberano is an eight-time world muay thai champion, bagging titles as a lightweight and welterweight. He was the Queen’s Cup and King’s Cup world champion in 2007. The La Salle  Bacolod elementary and high school graduate has been a dominant force in US kickboxing for over a decade. Uichico played on the Philippine youth team that won the Asian crown in 1982 and wore the La Salle colors as a guard. He was cited for his achievements as a coach in the collegiate, amateur and professional levels. As a PBA coach, Uichico has won eight championships and is a two-time Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year