MANILA , 12 April — The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has allocated 3 million pesos in financial support to the Sering Cup International Invitational track and field championships scheduled May 1 to 4 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Chairman Eric Buhain and commissioner Cynthia Carrion of the PSC said the amount was based on the initial report submitted by the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) that more than 40 countries have been invited to participate. Buhain said the PSC, at first, was willing to spend no more than 2 million pesos for the event honoring former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Patafa chairman and Asian Amateur Athletic Association (4 As) founder Jose Sering who passed away last Feb. 14.
However, upon learning of the number of invited countries and its possible impact in terms of tourism, the government sports agency decided to increase the amount to 3 million pesos.
The rest of the expenses will be shouldered by private sponsors. But to avoid a repetition of previous incidents where sports associations allegedly bloated the number of invited countries to an international meet just to get a bigger budget, Buhain offered a quick remedy.
“The Patafa will only get 1.5 million pesos (this month) then the rest will come after the staging of the event,” said Buhain, explaining that in case of a low turnout in terms of participation, then the money will have to go back to the PSC vault. “But I hope that Patafa President Go Teng Kok could bring in as many countries that they have invited because it will be good not only for sports but for the country’s tourism aspect as well.”
(MBA, LBC sign P200-M ad contract
The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) has clinched the biggest advertising deal in its five-year history after LBC Express, the country’s leading all-Filipino courier firm, signed a five-year, 200-million pesos contract, reinforcing the leagues viability as a potent advertising medium.
LBC Express President Malou Olan signed the agreement with MBA Commissioner Chito Loyzaga and league business development director Ramon Tuason.
The deal also fortified the MBAs advertising thrust following the recent agreements with other sponsors, including The Professional Group, Cebuana Lhuillier, Osaka and Air Philippines.
“We have seen the MBA as a very potent advertising tool and finally, we have seen an opening to come in and infuse our resources. We did not hesitate to seize the opportunity because we hope to continue leading the business field through the extra advertising push, which the MBA will give LBC,” Olan said.
The contract, Olan said, will be spread over five years and with much of LBC’s campaign to be poured over different phases of the coming MBA seasons until 2007.
The deal is separate from LBC’s ownership of the Batangas franchise, which will be defending the national championship this year against seven other teams. Competition in the MBA this year is seen to be equal among all teams following trades and new recruitments by the participating squads.
“This is a real investment with sure returns. Our contract offers new venues for advertising, and not just the traditional kind. It allows companies’ investments of as much as R50-60 million a year, there’s also chance for sponsors to come in for as little as P100,000. We’re flexible and we’re earning the returns fast,” said Tuason, who took charge of the league’s business side last year before the MBA went on its own after a four-year partnership with ABS-CBN.
****
Pacquiao title defense set May 18
Reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao will clash with Venezuela’s Jose Luis Valbuena in a mandatory title defense tentatively set on May 18 in the US.
But no definite site has been named for the 12-round fight yet. Valbuena, a hard-hitting southpaw who has compiled an impressive ring record of 21 wins, two defeats and one draw, has 12 knockouts to his name.
He earned a shot at the title after scoring a 12th round stoppage over fancied Colombian Ernesto Grey and winning the IBF Latin American super bantamweight title in a title eliminator last January.
In another impressive performance before the Grey fight, Valbuena battered Jose Pablo Estrella of Argentina to score an eighth-round technical knockout win. Estrella failed to answer the bell due to the body punishment inflicted on him by the fighter from Tumero, Venezuela.
Pacquiao, who received the “Boxer of the Year” award at the 2nd Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Boxing Awards at Hotel Intercon recently, plans to leave for Los Angeles one month before the title defense.
****
New Subic raceway to open soon
The newly-upgraded Subic International Raceway will be unveiled to the motorsports community with the kickoff of the prestigious “Asian Formula of Speed”, the Petron-Grand Pix and the Philippine National Touring Car Championship on April 13-14.
Lengthened to a full three kilometers, the circuit has undergone tremendous improvements in tandem with the continuing development of the Subic Freeport under chairman Felicito Payumo.
Sports Values, Inc. (SVI) President Pocholo Ramirez said the new track layout will prove more challenging to the drivers and their cars with its uphill and downhill sections and sweeping high-speed corners.
“We expect the races to be a lot more exciting than the previous years,” said Ramirez, a multi-awarded race car driver himself who is credited for reviving circuit racing in the country in 1994. “It (Subic International Raceway) is surely now one of the best in Southeast Asia.” As host of international racing events for several years now, SIR continues this tradition by staging the first two rounds of the AFOS, considered as the premier motorsports event in Asia.
AFOS features the Asian Formula 2000 (AF2000) and the Asian Touring Car Championship (ATCC), which have been flagship racing championships in Asia for both single-seater and touring cars, respectively.
AF2000, for instance, was the training ground for current Malaysian Formula 1 driver Alex Yoong. While Formula 1 test driver Ryo Fujuda spent a season in the ATCC a few years ago.
****
Filipino boxers leave for
tough international stints
Two teams of Filipino boxers have left for tough international competitions in Thailand and Europe as part of their buildup for the Pusan Asian Games in September.
Harry Tanamor and Violito Payla, gold medal winners in the recent Prof. Chowdry Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, lead the Team Caltex Philippines that will see action in the Gee Bee slugfest in Helsinki, Finland and the Socikas championship in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The two European tournaments will be held successively. The Finland event started last week. The Lithuania slugfest ends on April 16.
Another Team Caltex Philippines composed of young but very promising boxers are seeing action in the 25th King’s Cup tournament in Bangkok that started last week.
Tanamor will see action in the light flyweight class while Payla will compete in the flyweight division. Their teammates are Vincent Palicte (bantam), Roel Laguna (feather), Anthony Igusquisa (lightweight) and Olympian Romeo Brin (light welter).
Making up the squad for the King’s Cup are Godfrey Castro (light fly), Warlito Parrenas (flyweight), Ferdie Gamo (bantam), Jogen Ladon (feather), Florencio Ferrer (lightweight), Maximino Tabangcora III (welter) and Maraon Goles (light middle).
Although the European-bound squad is decidedly the stronger team, boxing President Manny Lopez is convinced the two teams will figure prominently in the chase for medals.
“Both teams are well-prepared but will be up against very classy opposition. I’m confident they will bring home a fair share of the medals at stake,” said Lopez, who will accompany the European-bound squad.
The team seeing action in Finland and Lithuania will be coached by Nolito Velasco while former SEA Games campaigner and Los Angeles Olympics quarterfinalist Ronald Chavez will coach the King’s Cup squad.
****
11 named to National Basketball Hall of Fame
The 11 nominees in this year’s National Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony earned their place in the pantheon by doing the country proud with their exemplary performance during their heyday.
Briefly, in no special order, are the major exploits of some of the nominees:
Gerry Cruz: 1959 Chile World Basketball Championship, 8th place; 1960 Rome Olympics, 11th, two gold medals, Asian Games (1958 Tokyo, 1962 Jakarta); and gold medal, 1963 ABC in Taipei. Born in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga, tall and handsome Gerry grew to about 6-foot-2 to become a star player of Betis Elementary School, Guagua National High and Far Eastern University, where, in his rookie year, the Tamaraws won the UAAP title. He was recruited by the Ysmael Steel Admirals, many-time MICAA and National Open champions from 1956 to 1964.
In 1959, Gerry was invited to play for the University of San Francisco Dons, but he returned home after only two months of training because he was treated unfairly and shabbily.
