Big J coming home soon

By Beth Celis
Inquirer
Last updated 03:41am (Mla time) 10/25/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- Manny Victorino’s colleague Abe King does not believe there was anything sinister behind the bullets found in the cager’s possession at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

“Manny must have left the bullets in the bag after shooting practice,” said the Washington-based Abe, who came to Manila recently to invite Manny and other Philippine Basketball Association cage legends to play a series of exhibition games in the United States in March next year to raise funds for PBA Legends USA Foundation, of which he is the chair.

Manny was on the way to Guam when he was held at the airport.

He was later released after posting bail.

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Speaking of Guam, this is a place where visiting Filipinos usually get into trouble at the airport.

A fellow sports scribe was almost nabbed by Guam immigration when a sniffing dog detected an illegal substance in his hand-carried bag.

Immediately our colleague was asked to empty the contents of the bag. Nothing looked suspicious except for a sealed Manila envelop.

Our colleague told airport police that only his dentures were inside, as he gave them a wide, toothless grin to prove it.

The authorities later apologized. Our colleague learned his lesson. From thereon, he wore his dentures every time he traveled, cleaning them first very well before he did.

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Horse owner Reli de Leon has good news for those who have been awaiting the return of Sonny Jaworski to the Philippines.

After a four-month stay in the United States where Reli said Sonny owns two houses, the Big J is coming home on Nov. 4.

“Sonny is now in the call center business, which is the reason for his protracted stay in the US. When he returns to Manila, he will look at the offers that came his way while he was gone,” said Reli, who bumped into Sonny in Las Vegas during the Pacquiao-Barrera fight.

“Sonny was driving a brand new black Hummer. He’s still very popular wherever he goes, basta may mga Filipino.”

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BAP-SBP vice chair Ricky Vargas, team sponsor Jean Henri Lhuillier, and close relatives were at the penthouse of the Discovery Suites last Sunday night to welcome the RP ladies cage squad, the Seaba silver medalist, from Phuket, Thailand.

Discovery Suites owner Cynthia Tiu, who has been supporting the team, had planned a surprise party for the ladies that night. From the airport, they boarded a Victory Liner tourist bus provided by staunch supporter Marivic del Pilar, and went to the party place at the Ortigas Center.

Even if they failed to bring home the gold, Ricky V., who represented SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan, lauded the girls for performing way beyond expectations, and gifted each member of the 25-man delegation with a brand new cellphone and a P5,000 load. I learned that PLDT had also given the team some spending money for the week-long event.

For his part, Cebuana’s Jean Henri announced that he would be giving the team the P600,000 bonus incentive for a gold medal, instead of the P400,000 for a silver medal.