MVP bags 3rd ‘Floro’ award

Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP) will receive his own “MVP” plaque in the 31st Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Press Corps Awards Night on Monday at the Novotel Manila Araneta City.

The managing director and chief executive officer of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Company is set to be honored with the Danny Floro Executive of the Year award following a season to remember for the TNT Tropang 5G — the flagship team under the MVP umbrella.

The Tropang 5G claimed the first two championships of Season 49 — Governors’ Cup and Commissioner’s Cup — and were aiming for a rare grand slam that just fell short after the team lost to San Miguel Beer in the best-of-seven finals series of the Philippine Cup.

Nonetheless, it was a fitting campaign for the MVP Group of Companies, which came at the heels of Meralco winning its first-ever PBA championship just a season ago.

Pangilinan, who also chairs PLDT and the Metro Pacific Investments Corp., will be receiving his third Executive Award from the group of men and women who cover the PBA beat led by its president Vladi Eduarte of the Abante Group of Publications.

He is just the third executive to win the honor thrice after the late RFM team manager Elmer Yanga (1993-95) and SMC Sports Director Alfrancis Chua (2017, 2021 and 2024).

Pangilinan, a cum laude alumnus of Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, previously won in 2003 and 2011, the same season when TNT came close to completing a grand slam.

The Press Corps named the prestigious award in honor of Valeriano “Danny” Floro, the amiable late team owner of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers, the only franchise in PBA history to win two grand slams in 1976 and 1986.

Bones Floro, secretary general of the National Golf Association of the Philippines and grandson of the legendary Crispa team owner, will personally hand out the award to Pangilinan.

The 79-year-old Pangilinan shares the limelight with the winner of the Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year Award being contested by TNT’s Chot Reyes and San Miguel’s Leo Austria.