UNTIL one of his sponsored athlete wins a gold medal in the Olympics, bringing over NBA superstars Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose for an Ultimate All-Star Weekend will have to serve as icing on the cake for telecoms tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan in his far-reaching involvement in Philippine sports.

A corporate cannon in the business world, Pangilinan, chairman of PLDT and Smart and president of Meralco, among other companies, has given his blessings and lent his name to nearly a dozen athletic disciplines to become, literally and figuratively, Philippine sports’ MVP—Most Valuable Patron.

He is the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), and his Smart Gilas team, which is competing in the William R. Jones Cup in Taipei, will vie in the Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship in Wuhan, China, in September to shoot for a dream slot to the London Olympic Games next year.

Next stop for the national team is the 2013 Fiba-Asia Championship, the qualifying tournament for the 2014 Fiba-World.

The mission became official after Pangilinan announced during the sendoff for the Jones Cup-bound squad that the Smart Gilas program will be extended for two more years to allow the team to vie for one of three slots available for Asia to the World Championship. And it’s not just Smart Gilas-Pilipinas.

Under SBP, national teams for the Southeast Asian Games—men and women—as well as for the Fiba-Asia under-16 men and women tournaments, have been formed and are currently undergoing training, gaining momentum following the successful staging of the 22nd Fiba-Asia Champions Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

MVP, it turned out, has just warmed up.

A couple of weeks ago at the PLDT office in Makati, Pangilinan, as chairman of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap), presented a 15-year-old boxer from Zamboanga named Eumir Felix Marcial with a check worth P300,000 for winning a gold medal in the Aiba World Junior Boxing Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, the highest achievement so far in the event by a Filipino.

Ricky Vargas, Abap president, paid tribute to Marcial who beat a taller boxer from Turkey in the final match, hailed his parents for supporting the passion of their youngest child, and extolled Abap’s talent-search program.

As hefty as the amount was for the young teenager, it was merely a continuation of MVP’s willingness to reward excellent performance for flag and country as indicated by the whopping P3-million windfall that landed on the lap of veteran national boxer Rey Saludar, a gold-medal winner in the Guangzhou Asian Games last year, the P1 million won by silver medalist Annie Albania, and the P500,00 Victorio Saludar, Rey’s younger brother, took home for saving the  bronze.

And the list goes on, with MVP extending a hand and opening his checkbook to cycling, tennis, running, taekwondo, badminton, and even the now wildly popular Philippine Azkals, among others.

Under the aegis of the MVP Sports Foundation Inc. (MVPSFI), launched early this year with top Meralco executive Al Panlilio as president, a group of companies chaired by Pangilinan has made it a mission to assist all the way the grassroots development and elite programs of eight national sports associations under the mantle of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

It was through the MVPSFI that Bryant, Rose, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and several other NBA stars descended into the Smart-Araneta Coliseum three weeks ago to showcase their magic upon tens of thousands of mesmerized fans who packed the Big Dome like never before since the Crispa-Toyota and Robert Jaworski era.

Now there’s even that mind-boggling talk of buying a franchise in the National Basketball Association!

Already, the owner of two PBA ball clubs—the grand slam-seeking Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters and the Meralco Bolts—and chief benefactor of college basketball’s top collegiate teams—Ateneo and San Beda—Pangilinan appears set for an even bigger role: possibly to stand as co-godfather to the Philippine delegation competing in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

“Ang PSC ay nagpapasalamat kay Mr. Pangilinan sa suportang binibigay niya sa sports, especially in these times na medyo gipit tayo sa funding,” said PSC Chairman Richie Garcia. “With his help, I think we’re not far into getting our first gold in the Olympics.” Joey Romasanta, the POC spokesman, shares the view.  “MVP through the years has been quietly but actively supporting Philippine sports,” he said.

Renowned businessman-entrepreneur Cecilio Pedro, Lamoiyan Corp. CEO and president and an ally of Pangilinan in Philippine sports involvement, especially in boxing, has jumped aboard the MVP bandwagon.

“I believe Filipinos are world-class and we should come together, follow MVP’s lead and help in whatever way we can so that we can hopefully one day win a gold medal in the Olympics,” said the man behind Hapee Toothpaste.

“This is MVP’s vision, and I fully support him, his vision and personal campaign to bring honor to our country through sports.”

A vision, a personal campaign, a generous heart—truly the ultimate Philippine sports MVP.