by Neil Bravo
Sunday night amidst a sea of local sports stars, Guillermo Jr., the lawyer-sports executive, shook the hands of Guillermo Jr., the doctor-CEO.
Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr., former athletic scholar and now the executive director of the country’s sports governing agency, was the epitome of humility and gratitude, as he shook the hands of the man who gave him a scholarship in college as a football player, and later became his stepping stone to a legal education.
“I was his scholar. I played football in order to get an education and I used it to the best I can. The rest, as they say, is history,” said Iroy, Jr., now the Philippine Sports Commission’s top administrative officer.
He was referring to Dr. Guillermo Torres, Jr., President of the University of Mindanao, who was one of the guests of honor in the annual awards night for the city’s top athletes.
“It’s not easy running the administrative business of the PSC but my training as an athlete helped me a lot,” he said in his speech before a crowd of emerging sportsmen who were all awed by his humble, low-profile ways.
Iroy graduated as an athletic scholar from UM, playing for the football squad then coached by the legendary maestro Jose “Sensei” Te.
Iroy narrated his experience in sports from his football-playing days to his odd jobs as “runner” for the late sports journalist and Philippine Sports Commission regional coordinator Vic Sai. “Nong Vic was also the runner of the late (sports patron and Philippine Olympic Committee regional head) So Kim Cheng.”
He was later employed as job order with the City Sports Development Office then moved to the PSC during the term of Commissioner later Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez. He went out of PSC and worked in the Presidential Legal Office in Malacanang during the term of President Macapagal-Arroyo before he was recalled to the PSC by Chairman Ricardo Garcia.
“Be proud to be an athlete. Ang sabi nila bobo daw ang athlete. Patunayan ninyo na hindi. Karamihan sa atin hindi galing sa bueno familia, pero magsumikap tayo na makatapos ng pag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng sports,” he told the young sports achievers.
