|
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Oyson: A bit of nostalgia for the All-Cebu Sports Awards
By Manuel N. Oyson, Jr.
Counter Punch
I READ with nostalgia the column of my neighbor-columnist John Pages a week ago. He was talking about the All-Cebu Sports awards held just recently at the Casino Español de Cebu. It was some sort of pained reminiscence because I was one of seven founding members 28 years ago of this annual sporting awards, which honor Cebu’s outstanding athletes of each preceding year.
I thank John for mentioning me. But there are just a few items I wish to correct. First of all, the SAC All-Cebuano (that’s how we called it then) Sports Awards started in 1977 five years into the martial law. The organizers then were the Sportswriters of Cebu (SAC) as implementer and the Cebu Queen City Lions Club, which sponsored and bankrolled it.
1977. Some of the guys at the CQCLC I still remember were then president Luis Yap, Dodong Aquino Jr., Rudy Co, Benjamin Sun and fellow lawyers Eddy Rosello and Manuel Satorre Jr. Our first speaker was then executive secretary Ernesto Maceda. Eduardo R. Gullas was the governor of Cebu.
The first awarding rites were launched at the same Casino Español de Cebu, where the recent one was held – only the second time since 1977.
The CQCLC provided all the trophies and plaques and hosted the dinner itself. For three years, the CQCLC was the SAC’s principal sponsor. I recall that for three years after that, the All-Cebuano Sports Awards were suspended because of the mounting expense incurred by the sponsoring club.
San Miguel Corp. stepped into the picture in 1983 to revive what it considered a worthy project for sports’ promotion and motivation.
A HANDSHAKE. Then SMC PR man Xavier Ledesma offered a deal which the SAC could not resist. The beer giant would underwrite all expenses for the awards from then on. At about that time, another beer conglomerate was also interested in reviving the awards. Over beer and coffee at Hotel de Mercedes, the members of the group accepted SMC’s offer with just a handshake. No formal memorandum of agreement whatsoever.
We also changed the title from All-Cebuano to “All-Cebu” with the letters “SAC-SMC” prefixed. It has been that way ever since. We had our re-inauguration in 1983 at the Hotel de Mercedes. Our first guest speaker was Rep. Victorico Chavez of Misamis Oriental, then president of the Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association (Pava).
Every year since, the All-Cebu Sports Awards has been a SAC project. Of the original members of the group in 1977 (SSC would not come out ‘til November 1982), Orlando C. Sanchez, Wilfredo A. Veloso and Edward Gutang, are gone.
DEACTIVATED. Sanchez, Veloso and this columnist would in 1990 also conceptualize the Cebu Sports Hall of Fame, now on its 16th year. Veloso was writing for The Republic Daily in 1977. For Morning Times, John T. Tagle, was an original member. For The Freeman, it was originally represented by Orlando Sanchez, Juanito V. Jabat and this columnist. I was writing for the Gullas-owned publication until 1982. Only Jabat and this columnist are active. When the new members of the crop and SMC left me out of the awards selection in 1996, I did not complain.
I was in Copenhagen, Denmark then. I was not also invited to later ceremonies. I returned to witness the awards only three years ago for old time’s sake when I inducted its new officers at the Cebu Grand Convention Center at the invitation of then vice president for corporate communications, Jeruel N. Roa.
My association with SAC seems to be over. I have been de-deactivated from its membership. I am not complaining. I take pride in the fact that I have been in this craft for 53 years. All of the present members were not yet born then.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “A Pacquiao victory over Morales would have provided a pleasant distraction to millions of Filipinos mired in poverty brought about by poor economy exacerbated by unemployment and overpopulation problems, greedy public officials in many places and tax evasion in high places.” – Manila Standard sports editor Bert Cuevas
(April 5, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
