MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Sports Committee (PSC), together with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), revealed the seven names that will be etched and honored in the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame on May 20 at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio and POC president Abraham Tolentino recognized the athletes who brought glory and pride to the country.
The “Magnificent 7” to be inducted in the Hall of Fame are: Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta (Para Powerlifting), Beatriz Lucero Lhullier (Gymnastics/Taekwondo), Cecil Valdeavilla Mamiit (Tennis), Eduardo Alvir Pacheco (Football/Basketball), Isidro Del Prado (Athletics), Mansueto Velasco Jr. (Boxing), and Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (Basketball).
Each recipient will receive 500,000 pesos, along with a trophy by famous sculptor Leandro Baldemor, who designed the Eddys Trophy.
“The Philippine Sports Hall of Fame is more than an honor roll of medals — it is a living ledger of greatness to honor those who have defined what it means to be Filipino in sport,” Gregorio said.
Initially, there were 75 names nominated before being cut down to seven.
For Tolentino, he shared that he is pushing for amendments to not limit the Hall of Fame recipients to athletes and coaches.
“We should also honor sports patrons, people who are in sports; we need to be progressive, and those are the things that we are working on in the amendment,” he added.
A review panel of veteran sports journalists evaluated the nominees.
Among them were Quinito Henson (Philippine Star), Al Mendoza (Business Mirror), Dodo Catacutan (Spin. ph), Jun Lomibao (Business Mirror), and Ignacio Dee (Manila Standard), who ensured that the accomplishments of each nominee were meticulously dissected.
Since its inaugural induction in 2010, the Hall of Fame has enshrined 47 icons of Philippine sports.
Henson also explained how comprehensive and meticulous that selection prowess was for this batch of enshrinees, leading to the Final 7.
“It was very comprehensive,” said Henson, who added that from the initial 75 names, it was pruned down to 15 and eventually the “Magnificent Seven.”
