WHAT can I say?

The Philippine Journalists, Inc. (PJI), publishers of People’s Journal, People’s Tonight and Women’s Journal, is now 50 years old.

I was blessed to be a part of this widely-read group of newspapers in 37 of its first 50 years.

I first joined the Journal Group as the greenest of greenhorns trying to find a place in the noble sportswriting profession under Times Journal editor Eking Gonzales in 1985 and later became the sports editor of this trail-blazing afternoon paper in 1987.

And in honor of PJI’s 50th anniversary last Oct. 21, allow me to list the 50 leading sports personalities I’ve covered — and watched– in the past four decades.

1.Manny Pacquiao — Nobody but nobody can surpass, if not equal, the achievements of this Filipino boxing champion from General Santos City in the wonderful world of sports. Now a Senator, he is also the first boxer in history to win nine world titles in seven different weight divisions.

2. Robert Jaworski –Known as the “Big J:, and “Living Legend”, he will always be remembered by basketball fans on and off the court long after his playing days. His name, in fact, remains synonymous to the game even with the entry of young and new players.

3. Ramon Fernandez–“El Presidente” to his legion of fans, he is still considered as the greatest basketball player ever produced by this basketball-crazy nation. He is also a four-time MVP and winner of 19 PBA championships.

4. Eugene Torre — At age 22, he became Asia’s first grandmaster in 1974 during the World Chess Olympiad in Nice, France. Now, he’s also the first Asian to be enshrined in the World Chess Hall of Fame.

5. Paeng Nepomuceno — His four World Cup of Bowling titles (1976, 1980, 1992, 1996) make him one of the world’s greatest bowlers of all time. He was the first international male athlete to be inducted in the international Bowling Hall of Fame in St. Louis, Missouri in 1993.

6. Lydia de Vega-Mercado– Considered as Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s, she ran away with the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 New Delhi Asiad and duplicated the feat in the 1986 Seoul Asiad.

7. Efren “Bata” Reyes — Known as the ‘ “Magician”, he is a two-time world champion and considered as one of the all-time greats in the sport.

8. Alvin Patrimonio –A four-time winner of the PBA MVP award, the “Captain” is still regarded as one of the most prolific players in the league.

9.Wesley So– He made history as the world’s seventh youngest player to achieve a GM title at age 14 years, one month and 28 days. A future world champion.

10. Eric Buhain – Regarded as one of the greatest Filipino swimmers of all time, he was responsible for the “Miracle of ‘91” in the 1991 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

11. Allan Caidic – Known as the ‘Triggerman’, he is considered as the finest pure shooter in basketball in the country. And his single-game record of 79 points which he established on Nov. 21, 1991, will always remain in the record books.

12. Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco — The pride of Bago City brought home the silver medal during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

13.Pocholo Ramirez –The “Grand Old Man” of circuit racing, he was regarded as the only racing legend in the country with a career that spanned 45 years. He began his racing career at age 30 and continued to race competitively until around 2008, when he was 75 and already battling cancer.

14. Butch Chase — Nicknamed “Mr. Motocross”, he made the sport popular with his pioneering efforts first as a multi-awarded rider and later as a tireless organizer.

15. Bong Coo– A four-time world champion, she was the first Filipino athlete listed in the Guinness Book of World records.

16. Tac Padilla — A sharpshooter, he bagged countless gold medals in numerous international competitions. including five SEA Games golds from 1979 to 2009.

17. Benjie Paras –The first and only MVP-Rookie of the Year awardee in 1989, he is one of the few and the proud homegrown Filipino centers before the arrival Fil-Ams.

18. Frankie Minoza –The pride of Bukidnon, he remains as the most successful golfer in the country even if he spent his prime in the lucrative Japanese tour.

19. Jovie Saulog –One of the country’s greatest motocross riders, he bagged seven national titles from 1980s up to 90s.

20. Jennifer Rosales — Winner of the Philippine Ladies Amateur golf championships from 194-1998, she teamed-up with Dorothy Joy Delasin to win the World Cup in 2008.

21. Samboy Lim – Dubbed as the “Skywalker”, he distinguished himself with his acrobatic layups and gravity-defying drives that earned him a ticket to the PBA Hall of Fame.

22. Elma Muros – A two-time Olympian, she is arguably the country’s finest athlete in long jump.

23. Arianne Cerdena — She is best known for winning the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics with her bowling triumph in the 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. She is elected to the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame in March 2021.

24. Rogelio Antonio, Jr.– He made history by becoming the country’s third GM after Torre and Rosendo Balinas.

25. Bea Lucero –She won the bronze medal for taekwondo during the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

26. Akiko Thomsom — Represented the country in the 1987 and 1991 SEA Games where she won several gold medals, and the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

27. Paul Alvarez — As “Mr. Excitement’, he established the second highest- individual score of 71 points during Alaska’s game against Shell in April 26, 1990.

28. Jolet Jao — One of few riders who excelled in both motocross and road racing, Jao can easily fill a room with his collection of trophies and medals.

29. Luisito Espinosa – Winner of two world titles in two different divisions, WBA bantamweight (1989) and WBC featherweight (1995).

30. Vergel Meneses –The “Aerial Voyager’”, he earned MVP honors in 1985.

31. Pido Jarencio — A dependable scorer during his UAAP and PBA days, he became a champion coach for the University of Santo Tomas.

32.Jerry Codinera — Known as the “Defense Minister”, he was also a member of the PBA “25 Greatest Players.” With Patrimonio, he formed the most dominant All-Filipino duo for Purefoods for 12 seasons.

33. Renato Agustin — Better known as the “Atom Bomb”, he was voted as MVP in 1992 while playing for San Miguel Beer and Comeback Player for 2000.

34. Dodie Boy Penalosa – A polio-stricken champion from San Carlos City, he became the IBF champion in light flyweight and flyweight divisions.

35. Marlou Aquino – Popularly known by his monicker “Skyscraper’:, he made an impact as a towering center, first in the PBL where he won a record-setting four MVP awards, and later in the PBA.

36. Kenneth San Andres– known as the ‘Wonder Boy’ of motocross, he became the youngest winner of the national motocross title at age 19 during the 2008 season.

37. Hidilyn Diaz — Her weightlifting resume tells it all: a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, three bronze medals in the World Championships in 2019 Pattaya, 2017 Anaheim and 2015 Houston and golds in the 2018 Asian Games and 2015 Asian Championship. Next: 2024 Paris Olympics.

38. Janelle Mae Frayna — At 20, she made history by becoming the country’s first woman grandmaster in 2017. To this day, the pride of Legazpi, Albay remains as the highest-rated Filipina player.

39. Mary Joy Tabal — The 30-year-old Cebu-born champion is the first Filipina marathon runner to qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

40. Rubilen Amit –The first Filipino woman to become a world pool champion, the 41-year-old pride of Mandaue, Cebu is expected to add some more trophies.

41.Charly Suarez — Now the WBA Asia super featherweight champion, he made the country proud during the 2016 Olympics.

42. Ernest John Obiena — As per World Athletics, he is ranked as the world’s third-best men’s pole vaulter.

43. Jasmin Mojdeh — Known as the “Water Beast”, she holds several national records in swimming

44. Paulo Bersamina — A three-time Olympiad veteran, he is expected to carry the Philippine for years to come.

45. Jasmine Jao — The daughter of motocross legend Jolet Jao also rises.

46. Antonella Berthe Racasa — Her meteoric rise in the international chess world at age 12 makes her clearly the next most important star.

47.Sander Severino — Winner of 13 gold medals in Asian and ASEAN Para Games, he made history by winning the IPCA championship in 2020.

48. Caloy Yulo — the first Filipino gymnast to medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships with his floor exercise bronze medal finish in 2018, and the first ever gold medalist for the Philippines in 2019 on the same apparatus.

49 Alex Eala –the highest-ranked Filipino female singles player in WTA Tour history and winner of the 2022 US Open juniors crown.

50. Chloe Isleta — She ended the country’s 29-year gold medal drought with her triumph in the 2019 SEA Games.

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