A BOXING world champion and an Olympic silver medalist are among those to be feted with major awards in next month’s annual San Miguel Corp.-Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.
Nesthy Petecio and Hidilyn Diaz lead 12 personalities who will receive major awards from the country’s oldest media organization in the March 6 gala night presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Milo, Cignal TV, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Rain or Shine and Air Asia.
The two female athletes are also members of Team Philippines which will be honored with the coveted Athlete of the Year award on account of its successful 30th Southeast Asian Games campaign.
Petecio, 27, won the featherweight gold in the International Boxing Association Women’s World Boxing Championships in Ulan-Ude, Russia, while Diaz, 29, and silver medalist in the Rio 2016 Olympics, bagged a silver in the Asian Championships and two bronze medals in the World Championships.
The country’s first qualifier to the Tokyo Olympics—pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena—is also a major awardee for topping the qualifying meet in Chiara, Italy. He also won golds in the Asian Athletics Championship and the Summer Universiade.
Two other world boxing champions are also on the honor roll—reigning International Boxing Federation super-flyweight title holder Jerwin Ancajas and World Boxing Organization bantamweight king Johnriel Casimero.
Not to be left out are major awardees in basketball composed of the undefeated six-time University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s champion National University, five-time PBA Philippine Cup winner San Miguel Beer and five-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.
Completing the list of major awardees are golfers Juvic Pagunsan, Aidric Chan and Princess Superal and Horse of the Year Union Bell.
Still to be named are recipients of special citations, Milo Junior Athletes of the Year, Tony Siddayao Awardees and the Chooks-To-Go Fan Favorite Award.
Team Philippines Chef de Mission William “Butch” Ramirez will be honored with the Executive of the Year award.
Ramirez, also the chairman of the PSC, is credited for steering the Philippines in regaining the overall championship of the SEA Games after 14 years.
The 1,115-strong Team Philippines won a record haul of 149 gold, 117 silver, and 121 bronze medals, the most the country ever had since it began participating in the SEA Games in 1977.
The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap), meanwhile, will be recognized as the National Sports Association of the Year.
Led by Petecio, Filipino boxers stamped their class everywhere in 2019 which saw them winning golds from the Asian to the world levels.
Special awards will also be given to outstanding athletes in their respective sports.
Stephan Schrock will be conferred with the Mr. Football award, while Bianca Pagdanganan will be the first ever to receive the Ms. Golf title.
The 33-year-old Schrock and Pagdanganan, 22, join Mr. and Ms. Basketball Thirdy Ravena and Jack Animam, Mr. and Ms. Volleyball Bryan Bagunas and Sisi Rondina and Coach of the Year Pat Aquino.
Pagdanganan had her own share in the Filipinos’ successful title drive in the SEA Games, leading the country’s two-gold romp in golf by winning the women’s individual and team events in tandem with Lois Kaye Go.
The recipient of the 2018 Athlete of the Year (with fellow golfers Go and Yuka Saso, Hidilyn Diaz and Margielyn Didal), Pagdanganan also won the Hawkeye El Tigre Invitational in Mexico last year.
A sports and society major, Pagdanganan turned pro last year.
Schrock, meanwhile, will be receiving his second Mr. Football award after winning his first in 2013.
The veteran midfielder of Ceres Negros stood as the rock of the Philippine Azkals that is currently on a transition, serving as the captain of the U22 team in the SEA Games that came close to reaching the knockout stage.
The Fil-German player was also named by the Asean Football Federation as one of the recipients of the AFF Best XI Award during the AFF Awards held in Hanoi, Vietnam.