Who will make it to PSHOF 2020 batch?
Credit to Author: Eddie G. Alinea| Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2020 16:17:44 +0000
The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) 2020 Committee has been formed to decide on who will comprise the fourth batch of inductees that will be enshrined to the PSHOF in a fitting ceremony this coming November.
The nomination/screening committee as provided by Section 4 of Republic Act 8757, the law that created the PSHOF, is made up of Philippine Sports Commission chair William “Butch” Ramirez, chairman; Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, vice chairman; and Games and Amusements Board chair Abraham “Baham” Mitra, member.
Other members of the committee are POC secretary general, lawyer Edwin Gastanes, Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines secretary general, lawyer Avelino Sumagui, University Athletic Association of the Philippines executive director, lawyer Rene Saguisag Jr. and Philippine Olympian president, swimming legend Akiko Thomson.
Surprisingly, no member of sports media was named to the committee.
Businessman-sportsman Ramon Avena, son of basketball-volleyball great Vicente Avena, in a telephone call yesterday while I was writing this column, again made a pitch for, particularly, Dr. Regino Ylanan and the likes, who made their marks in the Far East Games (FEG) held 10 times from 1913 to 1934 before folding up due to World War II.
The Filipino strongman was actually Asia’s “First Man of Steel” after winning the gold medal in the modern pentathlon event, a five-discipline Olympic sport that comprises fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming (200 m), equestrian show jumping (15 jumps), and a final combined event of pistol shooting and cross country running (3200m) during the First FEG held in Manila in 1913.
Also deserving to be in the Hall, but haven’t even been nominated are Fortunato Catalan, Juan Taduran, Generoso Rabaya and even David Nepomuceno in athletics; Sutero Abrey in swimming and Armando Oncinian in baseball.
And also members of the PH basketball teams that lorded it over the opposition as champions nine times out of 10 FEG editions (1913, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930 and 1934).
In particular, Mariano Filomeno (1923, 1925, 1930 and 1934) and Jovito Gonzales (1913, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1921 and 1923); as well as members of the baseball champion teams Vicente Jaropillo (1919, 1923, 1925).
Others deserving to at least be nominated are members of the 1913 football champion team and the 1913, 1915, 1923 1925 and 1930 women’s basketball teams; and women’s volleyball champion team (1934).
Catalan was Asia’s “Sprint King” from 1915 to 1919; Taduran as decathlon titlist in 1921, 1923 and 1925; and Abrey, quadruple gold medal winner in 1921.
The last batch of 10 great athletes were inducted to the Hall in November, 2018, representing the third batch to be enshrined in accordance to R.A. 8757. They were sprinter Lydia de Vega-Mercado and discus thrower Josephine dela Vina (athletics); former senator Ambrosio Padilla and Loreto Carbonell (basketball); Paeng Nepomuceno, Bong Coo and Lita dela Rosa (bowling); Erbito Salavarria (boxing); Ben Arda (golf); and Filomeno “Boy” Codiñera (softball/baseball).
De Vega-Mercado, Asia’s fastest woman in the 80s and early 90s, Dela Vina, Padilla and Carbonell have all carried the country’s colors in several Olympic Games, Asian Games, as well as continental and world championships.
Nepomuceno, Ms. Coo and Ms. dela Rosa are multiple bowling World Cup champions, while Codiñera helped the Philippines finish third in the 1966 World Amateur Baseball championship in Hawaii and fourth in the World Softball Championship in 1968 in Oklahoma, USA.
Arda, known as Bantam Ben and the Toy Tiger because of his small physique, was the first Filipino to qualify for the US Masters Tournament and the US Open Championship, while Salavarria was a former WBC, WBA and Lineal Flyweight Champion.
Their induction brought to 37 the total number of Hall of Famers, including 10, making up the first batch of honorees — Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Francisco “Pancho Villa” Gilledo and Ceferino Garcia of boxing; and Olympians Jose “Cely” Villanueva and his son, Anthony, and Teofilo Yldefonso, Simeon Toribio, Miguel White; and Caloy “The Big Difference” Loyzaga; and the national basketball team who claimed third place in the 1954 World FIBA Championship.
And the second batch of 17 composed of Grandmaster Eugene Torre (chess); sprinters Mona Sulaiman, Inocencia Solis and Isaac Gomez (athletics); Felicisimo Amon (tennis); Kurt Badhmann, Ed Ocampo and Mariano Tolentino (basketball); Haydee Coloso-Espino, Jacinto Cayco, Mohammad Mala, and Gerardo Rosario (swimming); Raymundo Deyro and Johnny Jose (tennis); Martin Gison and Adolfo Feliciano (shooting); and Rodrigo del Rosario (weightlifting).