Women’s boxing champion Annie Albania, chess sensation Wesley So and pool legends Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante will be conferred with major awards in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) 2009 Annual Awards Night on March 1 at the Manila Hotel.

Albania proved her worth last year by winning a gold medal in both the 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam and the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos, while So was just as impressive after becoming the highest and youngest rated Filipino chess player ever at the age of 15 and at the same time, scoring stunning victories over GMs Gadir Guseinov and former world championship contenders Vassily Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky during the World Cup Khanty, Russia.

Reyes and Bustamante, on the other hand, turned back the hands of time and pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win in the 2009 World Cup of Pool opposite the German pair of Thorsten Hohmann and Ralf Souquet.

Together with the four, 15 others are also recipients of major awards during the yearly rite presented by Smart, PLDT, Pacific Online System Corporation, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Harbour Centre.

The list includes the five pro boxers who won world titles last year – Rodel Mayol, Donnie Nietes, Brian Viloria, Nonito Donaire Jr. and Marvin Sonsona – JayJay Helterbrand (pro basketball), Elmer Salvador (men’s golf), Chihiro Ikeda (women’s golf), Arniel Ferreira (athletics), Joel Calderon (cycling), John Baylon (judo), Cecil Mamiit (lawn tennis), Francis Casey Alcantara (lawn tennis), and Jesse B. Guce (jockey of the year).

Still to be determined is the major award for Horse of the Year.

Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao again leads the awardees to be honored by the country’s oldest media organization composed of editors and reporters from the daily broadsheets and tabloids.

The world’s top pound-for-pound fighter has been named as the PSA Athlete of the Decade.

Side by side with the 31-year old Pacquiao is the five brilliant ladies who are the recipients of the coveted Athletes of the Year award.

Pool champion Rubilen Amit, long jump queen Marestella Torres and the poomsae team of Rani Ann Ortega, Camille Alarilla and Janice Lagman had been bestowed by the country’s sportswriting fraternity with its highest individual honor.