MANILA, Philippines -- Sixteen years after his retirement from the professional league, Vergel Meneses -- the PBA's "Aerial Voyager" -- continues to soar.

Following a great basketball career, the 51-year-old legend is now carving out a name for himself in the realm of public service. Now the mayor of Bulakan, Bulacan, Meneses is facing the biggest challenge of his young term because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

So far, Meneses is coping with the pressure of leading one of the oldest towns in the country in a time of crisis -- just as he did during his 14-year PBA career where he won three PBA championships and was hailed as the Most Valuable Player 25 years ago.

• READ: Athletes, teams, celebs are 'All In' to feed hungry

In celebration of the silver anniversary of his MVP feat, and after becoming the only one of the 40 Greatest Players in PBA history to be elected as mayor, Meneses will be honored with the President's Award by the PBA Press Corps during its annual awards night.

The Bulakan mayor is also the guest of honor and speaker in the affair, originally scheduled last March 16 at the Novotel Manila in the Araneta Center. It has since been postponed indefinitely due to the enhanced community quarantine.

A two-time Mythical First Team member and a three-time Best Player of the Conference, Meneses is the second recipient of the award that was first handed out to the entire PBA Board led by chairman Ricky Vargas in 2018.

Meneses first caught the public's attention as an 18-year-old forward from then-Jose Rizal College, when he bested established amateur stars Jojo Lastimosa, Alvin Patrimonio, Bong Alvarez, and Nelson Asaytono to rule the 1987 PABL Freedom Cup slam dunk contest.

When he turned professional in 1992, he was tabbed by Presto as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. He then had a brief stint with Sta. Lucia, which bought the CFC franchise.

It was with Swift, however, that Meneses established himself as a superstar. He became its franchise player and led the team to three championships, including back-to-back Philippine Cup and Commissioner's Cup titles in the 1995 season. He also emerged the MVP of the league that year.

The two-time Slam Dunk champion and four-time All-Star MVP later suited for Barangay Ginebra, FedEx, Red Bull, and finally, Talk 'N Text. His No. 18 jersey was retired by Air2 Express in 2006, as he finished with a total of 9,453 points in 590 games, with averages of 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

During his professional career, Meneses was also a vital cog of the 1998 Centennial Team under coach Tim Cone, which won the Jones Cup and bagged the bronze medal in the Bangkok Asian Games.

Four years after his retirement, Meneses tired his hand at coaching and took on the position at Jose Rizal University. He led his alma mater to five Final Four appearances in the NCAA, before resigning from his post to run as mayor in the last national elections.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website).