Edgar “Ed” Picson

Edgar “Ed” Picson first joined the work force at a tender age of 18 years old, when he passed the auditions as a disc jockey at the Cebu radio station of Nation Broadcasting Corporation in 1972. He had just finished high school studies at his alma mater, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, where he also finished his elementary education. He was known in Letran as a prized declaimer and orator, and was Editor-in-Chief of their high school paper, the Squire’s Scroll. He went to the University of Sto. Tomas for college.

His broadcasting career spanned almost 5 decades, involving stints as disc jockey, voice-over announcer and sportscaster. This was highlighted by his winning the honor of Catholic Mass Media Awardee for Best Musical Programming for his show, “Mainstream Jazz on DWWK-FM”, in 1981. As a sportscaster, his crowning achievement was as Senior Anchorman for the television coverage of the highly popular PBA Games. His alma mater, Letran College, paid tribute to him as “Most Outstanding Alumnus in the Field of Broadcasting” in 1996.

Aside from his announcing activities, he also found time to fulfill his penchant for writing, as he wrote a regular sports column entitled, “The Scene Around”, for the major daily, the Manila Bulletin from 2005 to 2009. He eventually gave up the microphone and tv cameras in 2009 when he accepted the appointment as Executive Director of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines or ABAP, the national sports association for amateur boxing in the country. This is a position he still holds, even as he was appointed in a concurrent capacity, as Secretary-General of ABAP in 2017.

As the Chief Operating Officer of ABAP, he was voted by the Asian Boxing Confederation as the Most Outstanding Executive of the Year in 2013. ABAP was also cited for hosting the “Best Tournament of the Year”, when they hosted the Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Subic Bay the same year, which he organized.

ABAP boxers have brought honor and glory to the country by winning countless medals in such competitions as the SEA Games, Asian Games, World Championships, and of course, the latest- a celebrated and historic 3 medal-haul last August in the Tokyo Olympics, 2 Silver Medals from Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, and a Bronze Medal from Eumir Felix Marcial. Under his stewardship, ABAP has earned the distinction of being “NSA of the Year” three times in the last ten years. This award is given annually by the prestigious Philippine Sportswriters Association or PSA, the oldest existing media organization in the country.