The Anthem Philatelist

Lawyer Jovi Garcia Neri holding an Elorde bread with an article in the Visayan dialect CEBU, Philippines — Cebuano lawyer Jovi Garcia Neri , who is also a dedicated sportsman, artist and writer , will be launching his “Just A Lawyer Drawing Sports Icons” book during the opening event of Tubô Cebu Art Fair on September 15, 2023 4:30pm at Ayala Center Cebu . The hardcover, large size coffee table book showcases the highly-acclaimed illustrations of Neri , totaling 36 sports icons - including nine Filipinos - featured in ready-to-frame, removable pages printed on specialty art paper designed to mimic the look and feel of the actual original art. Neri takes the reader along his own art journey told through drawings, sketches and doodles that span four decades. He provides commentary on each illustration, revealing his creative process and artistic evolution, and recounts his personal encounters and interactions with some of the global sports icons who have acknowledged his depictions of...

 Thank you Emmanuel B. Villaruel and the Freeman .  click  here to view online article  CEBU, Philippines — Good things come to those who wait. This proved true for Cebuano gastroenterologist Vicente “Inting” Avanzado, Jr., who had long been wanting to personally meet his boxing idol Manny Pacquiao. His first best chance came after Pacquiao’s brutal and bloody ring war against Puerto Rican great Antonio Margarito on November 14, 2000 before a delighted crowd of 41,734 at the sprawling Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA. Delivering a spectacular performance in a blockbuster showdown billed as “The Eighth Wonder of the World,” Pacquiao dominated the bigger but slower Margarito to win the WBC super welterweight championship via a lopsided unanimous decision over 12 grueling rounds. Pacquiao, then 30 years old and congressman of Sarangani Province, prevailed round after round, opening a cut on Margarito’s cheek, closing his right eye,...