Cecil G. Hechanova (1932/1933 – March 22, 2016) was the founding chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission from the creation of the government's sports agency in 1990 up until 1992.

Career

He was the non-playing captain of the Philippine national team who participated in the Putra Golf Cup from 1970 to 1972. From 1988 to 1993, Hechanova was the executive director of the Philippine Golf Foundation. He was also the man behind the Philippine Corporate Cup in 1989. He became prominent after he appointed by then president

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

as the first chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, the government's body that focused on sports development. Under his leadership, he continuously developed and enhanced the national training pool of athletes and establish a monitoring team that will track the athlete's performance. During Hechanova's term as chairman, the Philippines has achieved the first-runner up finish in the

1991 Southeast Asian Games The 1991 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 16th Southeast Asian Games, was a multi-sport event held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November to 3 December 1991, with 28 sports featured in the games. This was the second time that ...

hosted by Manila, after they lost the overall title to Indonesia, by 1 gold, 92-91. It was known as the "Miracle of '91". Among his achievements during the term are the hosting of the

30th Chess Olympiad The 30th Chess Olympiad ( tl, Ika-30 Olimpiyadang pang-ahedres), organized by FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female players. and a women's tournament, as wel ...

in Manila, called as the biggest major chess tournament in the world. Russia won the men's championship title. He is also responsible for the revival of the

Private Schools Athletic Association Established in 1986, the Private Schools Athletic Association (PSAA) is a sports league for independent high schools primarily located in the New York Metropolitan Area. Mission * Develop and foster athletic standards of excellence for boys and gi ...

meet in 1990, and the formation of the National Institute of Sports and the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine. In 1992, Hechanova ended his two-year term as PSC chairman, and succeeded by Aparicio Mequi who at that time, the head of Bureau of School Sports of the former Department of Education, Culture and Sports. He was accorded in the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Personal life

Cecil is the brother of

Rafael Hechanova Rafael "Paing" Hechanova Sr. (July 8, 1928 – August 26, 2021) was a Filipino basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Early life Rafael "Paing" Hechanova was born on July 8, 1928 in the then-city of Jaro in Iloilo province ...

, a Filipino basketball player who participated in the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. His son, Jeric, currently played at the Luisita Golf and Country Club.

Death

In his last years, his health condition was deteriorating. Hechanova died in his sleep on March 22, 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hechanova, Cecil 1930s births 2016 deaths Chairpersons of the Philippine Sports Commission Corazon Aquino administration personnel