A student from University of the Philippines-Diliman, Josiah Israel Albelda, was unanimously chosen by a three-man panel as winner of the 2010 Phoenix Fuel-PBA Press Corps Sports Writing Contest at the Araneta Coliseum.

Albelda emerged No. 1 from among a list of 45 collegiate students who covered Game 3 of the 2009-10 KFC PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series between the Alaska Aces and the Barangay Ginebra Kings.

Serving as judges were Willie Caballes, former PBAPC president and current assistant sports editor of the Manila Bulletin, Gerry Carpio, assistant sports editor of the Philippine Star, and Rickie Santos, former Manila Bulletin sports columnist and PBAPC president and now PBA operations and technical chief.

Coming in second and third in the contest backed by the PBA Commissioner’s Office, Solar Sports, and Araneta Center were Camille Eugenia Naredo of Ateneo de Manila and Christian Jerome Lagunzad of Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

The first placer will receive P10,000, according to sports writing committee co-chairmen Joel Orellana and Dennis Principe, the second placer P6,000, and the third placer P4,000, along with Phoenix-PBAPC Certificates of Accomplishment.

The awarding of prizes is set at halftime of Game 4 of the Finals between Alaska and Purefoods Wednesday, with PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios and Dennis Uy, Phoenix Petroleum president, in attendance.

“It is an honor to be part of this project,” said Uy, “and we wish to congratulate the winners.”

Meanwhile, Handy Fix Multi-Purpose Sealant, under chief executive Derrick A. Tan, has agreed to sponsor the PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player award, which will be given to the most outstanding performer in the 2009-10 KFC PBA Philippine Cup championship series between the Purefoods TJ Giants and the Alaska Aces.