THE country’s top government sports official serves as the special guest of honor in the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association (SMC-PSA) Awards Night on Saturday at the TV5 Media Center.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez will be the keynote speaker in the virtual affair to deliver a brief but meaningful speech addressed to the country’s sportswriting fraternity and Philippine sports in general.
The PSC is one of the most affected government agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic as most of its funding comes from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and which it uses to subsidize the allowances and training of national athletes and coaches under its care.
Unfortunately, gaming activities were earlier shut down, and upon return to operation, didn’t attract as many patrons as it used to in the past, leading to huge losses in the net income of PAGCOR.
During the program, Ramirez is also expected to commend and praise the compact 32 awardees to be feted in the event presented by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and backed by the PSC and Cignal TV.
Young lady golfer Yuka Saso leads the 2020 honor roll of the country’s oldest media organization headed by president Tito S. Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin. The 19-year-old Saso is the recipient of the prestigious Athlete of the Year award.
OneSports+ will air the virtual Awards Night on March 28 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with 1Pacman Partylist, Chooks-to-Go, and Rain or Shine as major backers.
Some of the country’s top athletes, sports officials, leaders, and entities will be joining Saso in center stage as recipients of the various awards to be handed out during the event.