PSA: Pacquiao, 7 others '06 Athletes of the Year

The Philippine Sports Association announced Friday that eight Filipino athletes, led by boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, deserved to be hailed as 2006 Athletes of the Year. Apart from Pacquiao, others to be bestowed the coveted recognition are cue masters Efren “Bata" Reyes and Ronnie Alcano, bowler Biboy Rivera and Asian Games gold medalists Joan Tipon, Violito Payla, Antonio Gabica and Rene Catalan. The PSA said the eight “did the country proud with their respective exploits and, together, helped made 2006 a truly memorable one for the entire Filipino people." “Their heroic deeds deserved nothing but the highest honor from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), which selected all eight personalities as its 2006 Athletes of the Year in the PSA-SMC Annual Awards on January 18 at the Mall of Asia," the PSA statement said. According to PSA, its decision was another “another unprecedented one for the 58-year-old association after it bestowed on Team Philippines the Athlete of the Year honor in 2005 following the country's historic, first-ever overall championship in the Southeast Asian Games." In addition, the PSA will crown Pacquiao, undisputedly the country's most popular athlete, with the PSA Bayani ng Lahi trophy. “On top of the highest award to be presented on the eight sportsmen, Pacquiao will also be the recipient of the once-in-a-lifetime PSA Bayani ng Lahi trophy in recognition of his inspiring victories over Mexican boxing legend Erik Morales that brought boundless joy to an adoring nation and touched the lives of many Filipinos, one way or the other." Pacquiao will actually be receiving his fourth Athlete of the Year honor. He was the recipient of the award from 2002 to 2004. Pacquiao was chosen for the award after winning by knockout twice againt Morales in two action-packed fights in Las Vegas that generated records in both pay-per-view and live attendance. Reyes also made the country proud after winning two of the four San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour and the biggest prize purse ever in billiards – a total of $500,000 – when he topped the IPT World 8-Ball Championship also in Las Vegas before teaming up with bosom buddy Francisco “Django" Bustamante to take the inaugural World Cup of Pool in South Wales. Alcano's rise in the World Pool Championship in Manila was the reason he became one of the awardees. Rivera's perfect 300-game in the final of the World Men's Bowling Championship formerly known as the World FIQ was also a world-class feat that put him at par with the country's best athletes. The golden finish in their Qatar Asian Games campaign gave the PSA enough reason to include Payla, Tipon, Gabica and Catalan in the list of the country's top athletes. Their victory gave the Philippines its best-ever finish since 1962 in the quadrennial meet. Other PSA awardees are James Yap (pro basketball), Ken Bono (amateur basketball), Juvic Pagunsan (golf), Santy Barnachea (cycling), jockey Jonathan B. Hernandez (horseracing) and Real Spicy (horseracing). - GMANews.TV