The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame formally immortalized 10 Filipino sporting greats on Sunday in a glittering digital enshrinement ceremony that paid homage to their praiseworthy achievements.
No less than President Rodrigo Duterte honored the 4th batch of PSHOF enshrinees starring football hero Paulino Alcantara, basketball idol Robert Jaworski, famed swimmer Eric Buhain, track and field celebrity Elma Muros and 1988 Olympic gold medalist Arianne Cerdena of bowling.
Also joining them in the pantheon of Filipino sports heroes are Dionisio Calvo (basketball and football coach), Gertrudes Lozada (swimming), Rogelio Onofre (athletics) and Olympic bronze medalist boxers Leopoldo Serrantes and Roel Velasco.
“It is a great honor and privilege for me to congratulate the newest batch of sports icons that we enshrined into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame. On behalf of a grateful nation, let me thank our athletes for bringing pride and honor to our country,’’ said Duterte during the first fully digital ceremony aired by PTV4.
“Through your dedication and excellence in your respective sports, let your achievements inspire the younger generation of Filipinos to work harder in their chosen fields so that one day they can make our nation proud as you have made us all proud,’’ added Duterte.
Receiving the finely-crafted PSHOF trophy for Alcantara, hailed as the greatest Asian player in 2007 nearly a century since he made the country proud, was Miguel Angel Rocha, Alcantara’s great grandnephew.
Buhain, who saw action in the Olympics twice (1988 and 1992) and collected 13 gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, shared insights for the next generation of athletes to achieve success while Jaworski, a multiple medalist in the international arena, continued to inspire others with his accomplishments.
“It’s a privilege that I’ve presided over the selection committee. It was not easy to decide who among our past heroes will be chosen. Not everyone can become a part of the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame,’’ said Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez.
“They are great examples for our youth, they are living heroes and these heroes will have an impact on the lives of our children, the future of our country,’’ added Ramirez, also the PSHOF Chairman.
By virtue of Republic Act 8757 or the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame Act, the PSHOF Selection Committee is chaired by Ramirez as PSC chairman with Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino as vice chairperson.
“Their names will be forever remembered as Filipino heroes in the field of sports. These are our heroes who will become an inspiration to our youth for the sacrifices and the achievements that they contributed to the country,’’ said Tolentino.
Dionisio Calvo’s daughter Judy Calvo-Olson received the posthumous award for his father, who coached and steered the men’s national basketball team to its best performances in the Olympics—fifth in the 1936 Berlin Games and 12th in 1948 London aside from a gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, I assure you of my unrelenting and wholehearted support for our athletes and the entire sports community. Patuloy kong isusulong ang mga panukala at batas para sa mga atleta na magpapaunlad sa larangan ng sports sa bansa ng sa gayon ay makabuo tayo ng mga susunod na henerasyon ng mga hall of famers tulad ng 10 atleta na pinarangalan natin,’’ said Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
Cerdena, Lozada, Muros-Posadas and Velasco likewise expressed gratitude for their enshrinement as well as Serrantes and Onofre through their family members. Abdul Bashir Onofre spoke on behalf of his dad while Leodiles Serrantes read the message of his ailing father.