9 young achievers honored in PSA rites

MANILA, Philippines - Five swimmers, two golfers, a triathlete, and a rider make up the latest batch of Tony Siddayao awardees to be recognized in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night presented by Milo and San Miguel Corp. on Saturday at the One Esplanade in Pasay City.

Palarong Pambansa Most Outstanding Athletes Maurice Sacho Ilustre and Nicole Pamintuan lead the nine-man list which will be honored with the award for exceptional athletes aged 17 and below and named after the late Manila Standard sports editor Tony Siddayao, considered as the “Dean of Philippine sportswriting.”

Ilustre and Pamintuan won seven gold medals each in swimming during the 2015 edition of the annual sports meet held in Tagum, Davao del Norte.

Joining the two in the distinguished list are fellow swimmers Miguel Barreto, Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh, and Sean Terrence Zamora, golfers Abby Arevalo and Pauline del Rosario, along with Jacob Ang of karting, and Nicole Eijansantos of triathlon.

Kiefer Ravena, Wesley So, Dottie Ardina, Norbert Torres, Ken Alieson Omengan, Malvinne Ann Alcala, among others were among past Siddayao awardees during the annual rites with Philippine Sports Commission as major sponsor and supported by supported by long-time friends of sports such as Smart, MVP Foundation, Maynilad, SM Prime Holdings, Sen. Chiz Escudero, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Philippine Basketball Association, GlobalPort, Rain or Shine, One Esplanade, and National University.

World boxing champions Donnie Nietes and Nonito Donaire Jr., along with rising golf star Miguel Tabuena will be presented by the country’s sportswriting fraternity with the prestigious Athlete of the Year trophy, the highest accolade solely being given by the oldest media organization in the Philippines.

Also to be recognized are Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu Jr. (Executive of the Year), Gilas Pilipinas (President’s Award), Filomeno ‘Boy’ Codiñera (Lifetime Achievement Award, Wushu Federation of the Philippines (National Sports Association of the Year), Alyssa Valdez (Ms. Volleyball), and the cage pair of Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo (Mr. Basketball).

Fourteen personalities who excelled in their respective fields led by San Miguel Beer superstar June Mar Fajardo are going to be the recipient of major awards.

Citations will also be given to the gold medal winners of the 28th Southeast Asian Games and the ASEAN Para Games along with 24 other individuals, while there will likewise be awards for posthumous and the MILO Outstanding Athletes for boys and girls.

There will also be an award for Executive of the Year, major awards in other sports, posthumous, and citations, which include all gold medalists in last year’s SEA Games in Singapore.

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