PCC Blog Team

Hi there!

Over the weekend, I thought of inviting chess people (and writers) to take part in writing for our blog. Automatically, I thought of two people (it's not that hard to guess who they were) and really prayed that it will be okay for them. These two gentlemen, of status and credebility unquestionable, somehow has continued to provide great write-ups regarding chess in our country and the whole world.

And today, I finally got the nerve (kapal!) to ask them via text and email. The second one has agreed already and even asked me what is expected of him! My God! Just to think of giving him instructions (actually informing him, not instructing him) scares me. But as my mom would always tell me whenever she perceives my undecidedness over something she thinks will help my professional teaching career, "No Guts No Glory!" Thanks for this one sir!

I am still awaiting for the other one... He writes not to teach, but to inspire. As what I have read in one of his replies to one of his readers. Really still praying that he agrees.

So for now, there will be two bloggers for Philippine Chess. PCC readers, let's welcome Mr. Manny Benitez.

I'd like to share a little about him. This is the unedited email exchange I've had with him a month or two ago:

Manny Benitez:

Butuan is still very close to my heart because I studied there [Grades II to V from July 1945 to mid-September 1946; and Father Urios College--third year AB in 1956-57(?)], taught at Butuan Central from 1953 to 57, got married there to the former Annie Villareal (cousin of Nonoy, Tony, Swit, Julius, and Nene Tupaz and auntie of Laurice Guillen) in July 1955, but we left in May 1958 for good. We are now residing here in QC and sometimes visit our children and g-children in HK and the States. Btw, I'll be 73 in August.

The Weekender is my hobby, having been a chess columnist for about 30 years here and in Hong Kong and a retired journalist (Evening News, Manila Times, ABS-CBN, Times-Journal, Manila Times again--as editor-in-chief in 1987-88--and TODAY, as well as a 15-year stint off and on with the HK Standard/iMail and SCM Post in the former British colony).