Thomas Alva Edison, the famous inventor of the light bulb, once said, "Genius is 1 percent
inspiration, 99 percent perspiration." But I think if Mr. Edison had the privilege to work for
the man who is behind all of this, he would have probably said it another way. He would have said,
"Genius is 100 percent inspiration and 1,000 percent perspiration." Because, take it from
me, when MVP gets inspired, he is 100 percent committed -- and those of us who work for him perspire
1,000 times over. But mind you -- it's the good kind of perspiration. It's the type of
perspiration that helps us wins championships, gold medals, and accolades for the country. It's the
kind of perspiration that makes us all proud.
The Philippines is, to some extent, a unique country when it comes to sports. As you know,
basketball has always been big in the country. Which is strange -- because it's the one sport that
the Philippines may have the most difficulty in terms of being globally competitive because of our
physical limitations. When MVP arrived here from his various postings abroad, basketball was the
only sport that people really cared about. And he too cared about it. He cared about it so much --
that he got very much involved in it -- first as a team owner in the PBA --- and thereafter as the
biggest benefactor of the Ateneo Blue Eagles and San Beda Red Lions basketball teams. And now, the
Smart Gilas team that is representing us all in international competitions.
But he didn't stop there. Through his various initiatives -- other sports such as boxing, cycling,
taekwondo, badminton, tennis, and running have caught the attention -- and the passion -- of a lot
of Pinoys. Who could forget the The MVP Cup Badminton series? The Padyak Pinoy annual cycling
tour? The Smart Taekwondo Championships? Or the Smart Subic International Marathon? These
initiatives -- and many others -- have made many Filipinos realize that there are interesting and
engaging sports out there -- other than basketball. MVP has opened the eyes of Filipinos to the
world of sports.
