The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame (PSHOF) formally immortalized 10 more 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 greats 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.
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.
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.
The 10 enshrinees received P200,000 each plus a well-crafted PSHOF trophy during the digital awarding ceremony produced and organized by the PSC.
