The road to glory

It has been close to an impossible journey for the Filipino athlete, but on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, the Manila Bulletin salutes the key leaders and generous backers, from Concoy Chaves to Cynthia Carreon, who give Philippine sports a big boost

There’s no doubt that Philippine sports is currently enjoying its greatest era, with the golden campaigns in the last two editions of the Olympics putting it on a pedestal it has never achieved in the past years.

But as cliche as it gets, success did not happen overnight, certainly not for Hidilyn Diaz, who powered through in lifting the weights for a silver in 2016 and the breakthrough gold in 2021, and not for Caloy Yulo, who executed one of his intricate routines on the floor exercise and vault to become the country’s first double-gold winner in 2024.

As cliche as it gets, success did not happen overnight, certainly not for Hidilyn Diaz, who powered through in lifting the weights for a silver in 2016 and the breakthrough gold in 2021, and not for Caloy Yulo, who executed one of his intricate routines on the floor exercise and vault to become the country’s first double-gold winner in 2024.

The same could be said for Philippine sports in general. The first steps to be in the position that it relishes now goes a long way back. But with the patrons, leaders, and executives guiding the way, the country has found its way to its glorious peak.

Victorico ‘Concoy’ Chaves

Chaves authored House Bill No. 901 of the 8th congress, which eventually turned into a law after then-President Corazon Aquino signed Republic Act 6847, which created the Philippine Sports Commission.

The representative of the second district of Misamis Oriental was a known sports patron and had once served as president of the Philippine Amateur Volleyball Association (PAVA), the early predecessor of the current Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

The establishment of the PSC gave Philippine sports a sense of direction, especially with the promotion and development of sports in the country.

There were a lot of laws also passed from then to the present time that aimed to further strengthen the commission and be of help to the national athletes but Chaves’ efforts in establishing the PSC certainly planted the seed for the future of Philippine sports.

Michael Keon

Even before the creation of the PSC, the country had had a national training program for athletes through the groundbreaking “Project: Gintong Alay,” with Michael Keon at its helm.

The PGA set up a strong foundation to Philippine sports. Initially only geared toward the development of track and field athletes, the project eventually extended to include other sports.

Under Keon’s leadership, PGA adopted the concept of training camp, the first in Southeast Asia, and produced notable athletes like Lydia de Vega and Elma Muros-Posadas, who paved the way to the future generation of Filipino athletes.

Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino

A lot had served as presidents of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) but it was only under Tolentino that it truly delivered tangible success—three golds, two silvers, and three bronzes in total through the last two Olympic delegations he headed.

His proactive leadership and consistent support helped the athletes reach their full potential. Eventually, with him at the helm of the POC, Philippine sports has achieved greater heights. Yulo, Diaz, and other Filipino stars EJ Obiena, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, and Eumir Marcial all proved to be world class under his guidance.

And with another term as president, Tolentino is tasked to help Philippine sports sustain the gains of the past years and continue the glory it has been enjoying.

Manny V. Pangilinan

The sports patron, who owned three Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) franchise teams, will forever be known for his support and enthusiasm for basketball but he has undoubtedly made an indelible mark in Philippine sports.

While he was a key figure as former chairman of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the No. 1 supporter of Gilas Pilipinas, plus his major involvement in the staging of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the country, along with Japan and Indonesia, Pangilinan never turned his back on other sports in the country.

His MVP Sports Foundation proved to be a driving force in helping Philippine sports, funding athletes and training programs as well as building facilities to boost their chances of winning in international events. Pangilinan is a staunch supporter of not just basketball but also volleyball, boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting, and even other less popular sports engaged in by Filipinos.

Ramon S. Ang

Like Pangilinan, the business tycoon who owned the conglomerate of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has unconditionally supported Philippine sports through and through.

In an interview back in 2023, Ang admitted to having spent at least ₱1 billion annually just to sustain the three PBA teams under his umbrella even if there were no assured gains from it. But he felt that he owed it to the Filipinos to keep the teams they loved and supported.

Ang’s SMC was also a catalyst to various campaigns of Filipino athletes in the Olympics, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games. His conglomerate is active in supporting collegiate teams as well as grassroots programs that aim to discover and develop future national athletes.

Ricky Vargas

Vargas is an executive who has almost done it all for Philippine sports, from serving as POC president to becoming the president and chairman of the Association of Boxing Alliance of the Philippines (ABAP) during its successful campaigns in Tokyo and Paris Olympics respectively, to leading the PBA through the pandemic as its chairman.

It was under his leadership that Philippine boxers enjoyed much success with Marcial, Petecio, and Carlo Paalam delivering Olympic medals, ending the country’s 25-year medal drought at the Games or since Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco won a silver in 1996.

That also set up the table for further success with Petecio and Villegas also delivering medals in Paris.

Monico Puentevella

Diaz will forever be etched as the first Filipino to ever win an Olympic gold and Puentavella will always be the executive who made it happen.

Save for a rift with Diaz back in 2018, Puentevella had backed up the Filipina weightlifting queen throughout her journey. He never once doubted that Diaz could pull it off.

And even if the lifters came up dry at the Paris Olympics, Puentevella had also laid out the foundation for the future of weightlifting with Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno, all successful junior weightlifters being groomed to follow in the footsteps of Diaz.

Cynthia Carrion

Carrion not only served as the mother figure to the country’s greatest Olympian Yulo when he had an ugly fallout with his parents but she also served as the caring hand that carefully molded Philippine gymnastics into a successful National Sports Association (NSA) as it is now.

She ensured that Yulo would be in his best possible condition to compete in the international stage after sending him to train in Japan, a decision that bore fruit with Yulo’s numerous achievements in World Cups, World Championships, and of course, the Olympics.