FOR helping the country’s seemingly “forgotten sports heroes,” Bounty Agro Ventures Incorporated (BAVI), the company behind Chooks-to-Go, has been fittingly feted with the Aríªte Award given by the Philippine Olympians Association (POA).
For the past year, BAVI has honored the country’s past Olympians by giving them livelihood in the form of Chooks-to-Go stores.
POA President Akiko Thompson-Guevara, secretary-general Gerardo Rosario, and former Sen. and basketball great Freddie Webb, the POA adviser, went to the home of BAVI President Ronald Mascariñas in Calauan, Laguna to bestow the prestigious award last Friday.
“Kami ay pinagpala na nakarating kaming tatlo sapagkat ito’y ang oportunidad namin na makilala si Sir Ronald at mapaabot namin sa kanya ang aming pasasalamat,” Webb, a member of the 1972 men’s basketball team that competed in the Munich Olympics, said.
“Ang mga Olympians po ay tumatanda na hindi na nakikilala. Tumatanda na lang at nakakalimutan.”
Added Thomson-Guevara: “It’s common to see support for Olympians at the peak of their careers but the company just quietly stepped in and provided a means of livelihood for these sports heroes past their glory days. For us, that is just like wow, who does that?”
Mascariñas said the Award inspires him and his company to help more Filipino athletes.
“I am truly honored to personally receive the ARíŠTE Award on behalf of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc,” Mascariñas, who together with Hidilyn Diaz won the award this year, said.
“They travelled all the way to my farm in Laguna to physically hand over the award to me.
I am humbled and grateful for this gracious act.
Some of the beneficiaries of BAVI’s generosity were the late Leopoldo Serantes, brothers Roel and Onyok Velasco, and the late Teófilo Yldefonso.
Serantes was given a P100,000 allowance per month by BAVI. Although the 1988 Olympics bronze medalist passed away last September, BAVI continued to give his family what was due him and assisted in his funeral services.
The Velasco brothers were given their own Chooks-to-Go stores, while Yldefonso’s family was given monthly supplies of chicken which they could either use or re-sell.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial was also given his own Chooks-to-Go store while getting the company’s support for his professional career.
Chooks-to-Go also partnered with the Special Olympics Asia Pacific, carrying out a campaign to benefit people with intellectual disabilities (PIDs) through sports fests and training sessions.
“When the board got together to decide who will take the Arete awards for the year, when the word of livelihood came about, it was not a tough decision for us to award Bounty Agro Ventures Inc.,” Rosario, a swimmer for the Philippine team that competed in the 1972 and 1976 Games, said. “It was a decision that was approved by all the board members.”
Past recipients of the Aríªte Award were Celso Dayrit, former president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (2005); Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno, Olympian, and Guinness World Record holder for Bowling (2009); Nestlé Milo organization (2005); and Colgate Sports Foundation (2009).
