MANILA, 26 December 2003 — World champions CJ Suarez and Manny Pacquiao have been chosen Athletes of the Year by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) after their excellent campaigns abroad that highlighted a fantastic year for the country which could rival any other.
World Cup of bowling winner Suarez and International Boxing Federation superbantam (122-lb) king Pacquiao have been voted by the PSA membership to share the ultimate award in Philippine sports, which saw tremendous performances from various other athletes that made choosing the awardees easy and difficult at the same time.
Suarez won the World Cup, a feat only one other Filipino, Paeng Nepomuceno, has achieved in the Cup’s 39-year history.
The 24-year-old did the trick in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, against a field from nearly 80 countries, defeating the defending champion from Finland, the tournament’s No. 2 seed from Belgium and the top-seeded player from the Netherlands en route to scaling the Mount Olympus of bowling tournaments.
Pacquiao was unbeaten in three fights this year. He defended his title in July by knocking out Mexican Manuel Lucero in Los Angeles, three months after decking Kazakh Serikzhan Yeshmanbetov in a non-title fight in Manila.
But his well-documented, if most profitable, victory came in November, when he moved up in weight and beat the biggest name in the 126-lb class, Mexican Antonio Barrera, in a fight which saw the Filipino’s popularity here and in the US rocket.
Suarez became the second Filipino World Cup men’s champion after the legendary Paeng Nepomuceno when he reigned supreme in the Bowling World Cup held recently in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The 24-year-old Suarez, who like four-time champion Nepomuceno is a lefty, arrived home to a hero’s welcome. Wearing a Philippine flag-adorned polo shirt, he proudly raised his trophy and a silver-colored replica of a bowling pin amid the cheering crowd who greeted him at NAIA.
Suarez was accompanied by his father-coach, Teody and was welcomed at the airport by Gilbert Gavino, president of Coronado Lanes and Jose Puyat III, vice president of Coronado Lanes.
With his feat, Suarez is now considered heir apparent to Nepomuceno’s throne. He promised to bring more honors to the country. Suarez became the first Filipino to rule the event since Nepomuceno claimed his historic fourth straight title in 1996.
Nepomuceno first achieved the feat in 1978 in Tehran, then did the tricks again in 1980 in Jakarta, 1992 in Le Mans, France and 1996 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Bong Coo also won the ladies crown in 1979 in Bangkok, while Lita del Rosario triumphed in 1978 in Bogota, Colombia.
Suarez dedicated his victory to the Filipino people.
He defeated Marcel van Bosch of the Netherlands in the finals at the Planeta Sipongo Bowling Center.
Suarez, who missed the cut for the quarterfinals last year by just two pins, is also a triple gold medalist in the 2001 South East Asian Games, showed too much class and dexterity in beating his rival in the race-to-two finale, 205-202 and 232-209.
His victory came after a smashing come-form-behind 2-1 win (180-264, 265-214, 182-178) over Finland’s titlist, Mika Luoto during the semifinals match.
Another Filipino, Jojo Ca?are, finished fourth in the women’s bracket, in the process securing for the Philippines the Best Country Performance award in the competition among 75 nations.
Suarez is an accomplished business solutions provider, having graduated from the University of Asia and the Pacific in Mandaluyong City. He finished elementary and high school at the Ateneo de Manila University. Suarez’s World Cup conquest came on the heels of the Philippines’ success in last month’s World Championships in which Liza Clutario, Liza del Rosario and Cecilia Yap snared the trios gold with Clutario grabbing a silver and a bronze in the individual events.
Jose G. Puyat, chairman of the Puyat Sports group, also hailed the performances of Suarez and Ca?are that extended the long tradition of Filipino triumphs in the world’s most prestigious individual bowling tournament.
Puyat Sports, organizer since 1967 of the annual Philippine participation in the AMF Bowling World Cup, reiterated its pledge to support bowlers and billiards players whose skill, spirit and sportsmanship win accolades for the country. Suarez said there were signs pointing to his victory.
Although the food, billeting and local conditions did not have a lasting impression on Suarez, the new Philippine sporting hero was quick to remember the hospitality bestowed on him by the Hondurans.
A veteran of some 40 international events, Suarez believes winning the World Cup is just the start of bigger things. With the next World Cup scheduled in Singapore, Suarez is raring to head back to the lanes after a one-week rest. Considered as one of the best fighters in the world pound for pound, Pacquiao is giving himself five more years before finally calling it quits.
The newest Philippine hero had moved up a division to fight the Mexican in a victory that elevated himself into the pantheon reserved for boxing greats.
Right now, there’s nothing definite yet as to who will be Pacquiao’s next opponent although there have been a few who have made their intentions felt.
Suddenly, the Filipino pug found himself besieged with several offers to fight blue-chip fighters. Those who have been mentioned as possible foes include Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and Paulie Ayala.
But Rod Nazario refused to entertain more questions regarding Pacquiao’s much-awaited return next year.
But according to Nazario, Pacquiao will relinquish his International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight title which he has held for over two years now.
Since he has already proven that he can bang with the big boys at 126 lbs, Pacquiao will concentrate in the featherweight class in the hopes of finally unifying the titles.
Knowing that “weary is the head who wears the crown,” Pacquiao — who improved his record to 38-2-1, 30 KOs — said he will not let his guard down, hinting of coming back in the US before the end of the year along with his family.
Pacquiao was treated like royalty when he arrived in Manila. He paid a courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after a motorcade and a victory party.
President Arroyo lauded Pacquiao for his resounding victory over Barrera.
She said she is happy whenever Pacquiao comes home after his victories because he shares his winning with the less fortunate.
Pacquiao was conferred a special “Congressional Medal of Honor Award” by House Speaker Jose de Venecia in behalf of Congress. Bukidnon Representative Juan Miguel Zubiri, who co-sponsored with De Venecia House Resolution 1385 congratulating and honoring Pacquiao, said the former bakery worker from General Santos City is the first sportsman to receive such an honor from Congress.
