Five leading figures who played a major part in shaping Philippine sports will be feted with a Lifetime Achievement Award in the San Miguel Corp. – Philippine Sportswriters Association 2025 Awards Night at the Diamond Hotel Manila on Feb. 16.
The Lifetime Achievers are former sports commissioner and current weightlifting president Monico Puentevella, the 1991 Philippine Davis Cup team, boxing’s beloved Elorde family, officiating guru Romeo “Romy” Guevara, and Woman National Master Milagros “Mila” Emperado.
Puentevella, 79, served as commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission (1996-2001) before becoming the head of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas. It was under his leadership that the country won its first-ever gold medal in the Olympics behind protégé Hidilyn Diaz during the 2020 Tokyo Games.
A product of De La Salle, Puentevella was a former mayor and congressman of Bacolod. He was inducted into the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Hall of Fame in 2022.
The awardees will be recognized by the country’s oldest media organization under its president Francis TJ Ochoa, sports editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, during the formal gala night co-presented by the Philippine Sports Commission with ArenaPlus.
In the past five years, recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PSA included Efren “Bata” Reyes, the late sports patron Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, former Gintong Alay executive director Joey Romasanta, former PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios, basketball legends Sonny Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Allan Caidic, and Samboy Lim, champion coaches Dante Silverio, Turo Valenzona, and Joe Lipa, along with track and field great Elma Muros-Posadas.
Heading the list of the 2025 honor roll are Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Yulo and tennis player Alexandra Eala, who will be distinguished as the Male and Female Athletes of the Year.*PNA
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