IN RESPONSE to President Arroyo’s call to support Filipino athletes and sportsmen, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has pledged that it will back 18-year-old Filipino formula car driver Tyson Sy, who is currently campaigning in the Asian Formula Three Series (AF3), wherein he is running second in the championship.
According to Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of the board of PLDT Global, First Pacific Corp. and MyDSL, "Tyson deserves all the support he can get. We at PLDT would like to help send the first Filipino to Formula One in the near future and we hope that it will be him. The only way he can do that is if he has all the necessary resources."
President Arroyo issued her call last week when Sy paid her a courtesy call in Malacañang where he presented her with the trophy he won in the last leg of the AF3 in Sentul, Indonesia. The racing prodigy is in serious contention for the AF3 driver’s title, which will be decided in the final race on November 6 at the Batangas Racing Circuit and is set to compete in the Asian Formula Renault Challenge of the 52nd Macau Grand Prix, two weeks later.
"We are one with Tyson in his quest to land an F1 drive in the future. Although he has about one to two years more in F3, we are confident that he has the skills and attitude to achieve his ultimate goal. This is the reason why we are supporting him," stated Boy Martirez, head of Smart Communications, who was present at the contract-signing inside the PLDT head office.
PLDT’s sponsorship, the amount of which was undisclosed, will help fund Sy’s 2005 Macau Grand Prix and 2006 European Formula 3 campaigns.
"I’m really happy that PLDT has come aboard and I’d like to thank them for their gesture. I will do my very best to repay their trust in me," Sy said.
