Winners in Christmas contest

We were deluged with entries for our Christmas contest, most of which came via email – a  sign of the times. When we held our first contest some 20 years ago, each hard-copy entry was sent to The Philippine Star office accompanied by a clipping of the masthead from the front page of the newspaper. Thousands of entries were placed in a drop box at the office lobby and we sifted through the pile to pick the lucky winners.

Today, it’s a lot more convenient to send entries via email, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, especially when there’s a deadline to beat. For this year’s contest, a handful of hard-copy entries still made their way to the office lobby, some delivered by hand and others, through a messenger service.

Our first place winner gets P50,000 in cash, donated by PSC chairman Butch Ramirez, and a ton of goodies from our generous sponsors. The first five winners will receive cash and goods. We’ll publish the list of sponsors and what they donated in Tuesday’s column. To allow for more donations to come in, we’re postponing the awarding of prizes to Friday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m. at The Philippine Star office. Winners will be contacted to confirm the schedule.

Several entries were disqualified because they came in after the 5 p.m. deadline last Thursday. Many entries were also disqualified because they had the wrong answers to our questions or weren’t complete. For instance, some entries failed to indicate the PBA teams of the five ex-FEU stars drafted from the Gilas pool. On naming one of the nine undrafted players now on PBA rosters, a lot of entries missed out. McJour Luib, Billy Ray Robles, Samboy de Leon, Fonzo Gotladera, James Sena, Marvin Hayes, Karl Dehesa, Edsel Magisa, Charles Caluya and Dexter Garcia were among the wrong names – some were undrafted but not on PBA rosters while others were actually drafted. Some entries also had the wrong answers to the question on the two countries automatically qualified for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. Australia and New Zealand are the countries but a few entries named China, Iran and South Korea. Other entries didn’t indicate a home address, a requirement, so they were disqualified. This year’s contest had to be the most challenging so far.

* * * *

Here are the 20 winners with essays of the first five placers on sports as a source of national pride and a vehicle for youth development:

First prize – Lexen Quiachon, 33, Call Center Agent, of Block 11, Lot 7 Rodriguez Village, Barangay Lawa, Calamba City. “From the four world titles of Paeng, spanning three decades to the eight world division titles of Manny, Filipinos have turned to sports for hope and the belief that a Filipino can. It is the very same belief that I how impart to my five-year-old son through swimming. No matter how deep the pool is or long the lap is, there is nothing he cannot achieve in life as long as he puts his mind and spirit into it, just like Paeng and Manny.”

Second prize – Juan Paolo Lorenzo Montecer, 13, Grade 8 Student, Lourdes School of Mandaluyong, Unit 2001, Cityland Shaw Tower, Shaw Boulevard corner St. Francis Street, Mandaluyong. “Sports encourages healthy competition while providing a level playing field for everyone, regardless of gender, age and race. Excelling in sports brings national pride for it means one has the strength of the body, mind, heart and spirit to outlast the best athletes in the world. Athletic excellence demands hard work, discipline, persistence and respect for the rules and for other athletes which are core values that sports can help instil in the youth of every generation.”

Third prize – Martin Dale Bolima, 32, Copy Editor, University Press of First Asia, 18-A Adante Street, Tanong, Malabon City. “Sports offers the youth hope, a belief that they always have a shot at success, a pathway to either get redemption or forge a legacy and for many, simply a road away from poverty. This hope, so long as it is burning, can drive anyone and everyone to give it all – to do anything and everything to be the very best he or she can be. And in the end, the very best – look no further than our very own Manny Pacquiao – can prove to the world that the Filipino is truly at par with the rest of the world.”

* * * *

Fourth prize – Jan Lean Cortez, 19, 3rd Year Student, AB Consular and Diplomatic Affairs, St. Benilde, Block 5, Lot 83 Poinsettia Street, Garden City, Sucat. “That one fleeting night in April 2013 when Gilas Pilipinas beat long-time tormentor South Korea in the semifinals of FIBA Asia, thus netting the Philippines a berth in the World Cup, made every Filipino proud. And it didn’t just spark a surge in national pride but more importantly, brought unity among Filipinos, in all of us. Sports is also a vehicle for youth development since it keeps the youth from vices while providing a venue for the youngsters to become worthy citizens and future sports heroes.”

Fifth prize – Raphael Martin Hernandez, 36, Data Specialist, 7 Michael Raymond Street, Marietta Romeo Village, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig. “Sports will always be an activity for enjoyment and fair play and a country excelling in any sports activity is not only a way to make the world know the nation better but will bring confidence and happiness to the entire nation as well. Also, sports is a vehicle for sports development as it makes the youth value self-respect, friendship, perseverance, hard work and discipline which will team them to enjoy life the right way and always thrive to pursue their dreams and be successful in the future.”

6. Gary Villamero, 28, Freelance English Instructor, 749 Sunflower Street, Barangay San Roque, Tala, Caloocan City.

7. Romano Obmerga, 36, Physician, 56 San Pedro, Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

8. Marielle Orbon, 35, Accountant, 52-A Production Street, GSIS Village, Sangandaan, Quezon City.

9. Ireneo Padrigon, 68, Retired Teacher, Celestino Enverga Street, Barangay Gahonon, Daet, Camarines Norte.

10. Reagan Libed, 36, Mechanical Designer, 421 Brotherhood Street, PV-5 Barangay Real, Bacoor, Cavite.

11. Israel Roxas, 43, College Instructor/Barangay Justice, 2 Roxas Street, Burgos, Rodriguez, Rizal.

12. Yolanda Carpio, 41, Housewife, San Ramon de Canlubang, Laguna.

13. Paul Benjamin Ocubillo, 38, Production Planner, Anilson Packaging Solutions, Inc., Block 8, Villagio Subdivision, South Poblacion, San Fernando, Cebu.

14. Ruel Correos, 44, Engineering Manager, 315 Joseph Street, Annex 41, Barangay Sun Valley, Paranaque.

15. Rodalee Ofiaza, 31, Mining Engineer. Block 36, Lot 6 Stirrup Street, Rancho Estate 2, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City.

16. John Paul Tanyag, 24, Analyst, 841 Purok 6, Sucat, Muntinlupa City.

17. Reginaldo Pascual, 29, Part-time Academic Tutor, 132-K 3rd Street, Kamuning, Quezon City.

18. Jan Marc Telan, 21, Social Worker, 12 Edinburgh Street, Victoria’s Place, C. Raymundo Avenue, Pasig City.

19. Jeneah Kayne Cabales, 15, Grade 9 Student, Holy Heart Christian Academy, 2520 Vitas Street, Tondo, Manila.

20. Honeymay Shayne Dimple Escobar, 25, Human Resource Recruitment Staff, Marigold Pilar Village, Las Pinas City.

Congratulations to all the winners and Merry Christmas to all!