Ten Most Famous Philippine Athlete

1. Lydia De Vega. Once the fastest woman in Asia, de Vega virtually demolished the competition in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 Asian Games. She did even better in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul where she won the gold in the 100-meter event and a silver in the 200-meter race. 2. Ramon Fernandez. Fernandez is considered by many as the best Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player of all time. A four time Most Valuable Player awardee, Fernandez also won a record 19 PBA championships during his stellar career. He also holds the current records for the total number of rebounds and blocked shots in the league. 3. Robert Jaworski. Jaworski is arguably the Philippines' most popular basketball player of all time. The Most Valuable Player in 1978, Jaworski is also credited with being the oldest player ever to play the game. He was so popular and charismatic that in 1998, he ran in the local elections as a senatorial candidate which he won. 4. James Yap. The current PBA Most Valuable Player, Yap rose to popularity not just as an athlete, but also as a celebrity who married a prominent local actress. Her mother was a former Philippine president and her brother recently won the local presidential elections. 5. Ronnie Alcano. Billiards is one of the most popular sports in the Philippines. In 2006 Alcano established himself as an elite player by becoming only the third Filipino ever to win the World 9 Ball Championships. The following year, he won the World 8 Ball Championships and became the only man to hold the 9 ball and 8 ball championships at the same time. 6. Francisco Bustamante. Billiards aficionados have always believed that Bustamante is one of the greatest athletes ever to hold a cue stick. The Filipino legend is the current world 9 ball champion. Along with Efren Reyes, Bustamante has influenced a whole generation of pool players with his steady and creative approach to the game. 7. Efren Reyes. Nicknamed "The Magician", fellow billards players have openly admitted to actually paying their way just to watch Reyes play. At times, he comes up with shots that no one else manages to see and makes them with uncanny consistency. Reyes has won 82 international tournaments and 13 world titles. 8. Rafael Nepomuceno. Nepomuceno is widely regarded as the greatest bowler in the history of the sport. As well as being a six-time World Bowling Champion, he is the only athlete ever to win a championship in three consecutive decades. He was the

first international male bowler ever to be inducted to the prestigious International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum. 9. Mansueto Velasco. The Philippines has never had any significant Olympic success. Although there were gold medal harvests in tae kwon do, wushu and bowling, these were designated as exhibition events at the time so the medals earned did not count in the overall tally. Velasco earned a silver for boxing during the 1996 Olympics where he lost a controversial bout in the finals. Since then, Velasco has been a regular fixture in Philippine television and movies as a local comedian. 10. Manny Pacquiao. The world famous pugilist is also a recording artist, an actor, a businessman and a congressman in his native country. Winning seven world championships in seven weight divisions while beating the likes of Eric Morales, Miguel Cotto and Oscar de la Hoya propelled Pacquiao to greatness. Some say a match against the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather would cement his legacy while others say he has done more than enough to prove he is one of boxing's all time greats. 11. Simeon G. Toribio (September 3, 1905 June 5, 1969) was a Filipino athlete, who won the bronze medal in the high jump at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States. He represented the Philippines in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1928.[1][2] In 1930, Toribio was awarded the Helms World Trophy for being Asia's greatest athlete. He became a lawyer and a congressman representing Bohol province where he later settled. Simeon Toribio, the pride of Zamboanga, was considered the "Filipino Field Athlete of the Half Century" and "Asia's Best Athlete" for winning gold medals in the high jump event in the Far Eastern Olympics in 1921, 1923, 1927, 1930 and 1934 and a bronze medal in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.[3] According to author Jorge Afable, Toribio could have won the gold medal, if not only for the "call of nature". It was a grueling four-hour competition to jump over the bar raised at 6 feet and six inches high. Toribio, who once made the jump, failed to overcome it the second time because he was distressed by call of nature. Before this, Toribio narrowly missed the bronze in the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Toribio, who studied at Silliman University,[4] later became a lawyer. In 1941, he was elected to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing the Second District of Bohol, and serving until 1953. 12. Rosie Villarito is a Filipina track and field athlete. She grabbed a silver medal in the womens javelin throw event during the 24th Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand in 2007. Villarito is a former member of the athletics team of the Far Eastern University. She is also a Private in the the Philippine Army.

13. Josephine dela Vina is a Filipina track and field athlete and was a gold medalist in the discuss throw event at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. She was also a bronze medalist in the same event at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. 14.