PSC COMMISH CHITO LOYZAGA IS GUEST OF HONOR AT PBAPC AWARDS

The Philippine Sports Commission’s Chito Loyzaga has been invited as

guest of honor in the Philippine Basketball Association Press Corps

(PBAPC) Awards set Sept. 29 at the Sapphire Room of the Gateway Mall

in Cubao, Quezon City.



The 52-year-old Loyzaga, who played in four PBA teams in the 80s until

early 90s, including crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra, became the first

ex-PBA player to be appointed as commissioner in the PSC, the

government arm in sports development.



Prior to his involvement to the PSC, Loyzaga – the original “Dynamite”

in the PBA – served as official of several teams of San Miguel Corp.,

and a basketball ambassador of the company’s team of former SMC

players that holds exhibition games in various places in the country.



The annual awards will be hosted by veteran sportscasters Quinito

Henson, Ed Picson and Patricia Bermundez-Hizon. The event, which will

honor PBA personalities who excelled during the 35th PBA Season, will

start at 7:30 p.m.



The event’s major sponsors are Smart Sports, Alaska Milk and SMC, with

support from the PBA, Solar Sports, Accel Sports Wear, Coca-Cola and

the Araneta Center.



The PBA sportswriter will give plaques for the Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan

Coach of the Year trophy, the Danny Floro Executive of the Year,

Defensive Player, Comeback Player, Mr. Quality Minutes, All-Rookie

Team and Referee of the Year.



Two recipients of the Raffy Japa Presidential Award will share the

spotlight with the winners, while a short audio-visual presentation

for the late Willie Caballes, the Manila Bulletin assistant sports

editor and former PBAPC president who passed away last April, is in

the program.



Last year, after Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng wiped out two scheduled

affairs, the Awards was finally held at the PBA office in Libis,

Quezon City with Chot Reyes of Talk ‘N Text getting the Baby Dalupan

trophy and San Miguel Corporation chief executive former Amb. Eduardo

‘Danding’ Cojuangco chosen Executive of the Year.



Ginebra executive Henry Cojuangco, now a Tarlac congressman, accepted

the award for his elder brother.

Others feted were Wynne Arboleda, Jason Castro, Mike Cortez, Arwind

Santos, Jimmy Alapag, Gabe Norwood, Jared Dillinger, Sol Mercado,

Bonbon Custodio, Larry Rodriguez and Throngy Aldaba.



Santos, winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008,

ended up tied with Alapag as Order of Merit winners in PBAPC's Player

of the Week program.



They won the Player of the Week honors thrice each and, thus, shared the trophy.



Arboleda was the Best Defensive Player for the second time in the last

three years, Castro was Mr. Quality Minutes, Cortez was the Comeback

Player of the Year and Aldaba the Referee of the Year. Norwood,

Dillinger, Mercado, Custodio and Rodriguez comprised the All-Rookie

Team.(pr)