By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I attended the symposium of the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) Gintong Gawad (GIGA) national search for outstanding grassroots women in sports held at Pangasinan Sports Development and Management Council office last October 27.

The affair was presided by PSC’s Oversight Commissioner for Women in Sports Celia H. Kiram, a native of barangay Menien in Sta. Barbara town. In her speech before municipal and provincial sports officials, she stressed that the project is a countrywide search for inspiring, notable, enduring, exceptional female athletes by municipal authorities and eventually to be nominated by the provincial government.

She said Gov. Amado Espino must send its best nominee for each of the eight (8) categories submitted by the municipal governments: (1) Babaeng Atleta, Modelo ng Kabataan, (2) Babaeng Atleta ng Kabataan (PWD), (3) Babaeng Tagasanay ng Isport, (4) Ina ng Isport, (5) Lider ng Isport sa Komunidad, (6) Kaagapay ng Isport sa Komunidad (Sponsor/Benefactor), (7) Natatangi at Bagong Produktong Pang-Isport, at (8) Proyektong Isport Pang Kababaihan.

A 12-point rules/guidelines were explained municipal coordinators/consultants that attended the gathering, i.e., nominee should be 21 years old and below and the forms should be submitted within the period of October 1 to November 30, 2021 through online registration, digital submission or directly to the office of PSC Women in Sports at Pablo Ocampo Street in Malate, Manila.

I may be wrong but I believe there was never such a sports developmental plan like this in previous administrations, even during the regime of the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos. There was the famous Gintong Alay project before headed by Michael Keon three decades ago but Gintong Alay had a different format. It involved male and female athletes (unlike GIGA exclusively for women) and with no age limit and provided with cash incentive awards if one wins in any international competition.

I guess our national sports government officials are finally awake!

Perhaps this was prompted by the astonishing achievement of Visayan lass Hidilyn Diaz who won our very first ever gold medal in the weightlifting during the last Tokyo Olympic Games. Yes, our very first since Juan dela Cruz started to participate in 1924 Paris Olympics. Our sports officials, then and now, and elite media people ate their words when they bravely predicted that our first gold medal will surely come from boxing event, having produced world professional champions like Flash Elorde, Rolando Navarrete, Nonito Donaire and first and foremost our ‘Pambansang Kamao’ (and soon Hall of Fame awardee) Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. They cited also the accomplishments of our two national amateur boxers like the late Anthony Villanueva in 1964 Tokyo Olympics and Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in 1996 Atlanta Olympics who won a silver medal each.

I doff my hat to this latest project of PSC’s Kiram because the lucky chosen 8 awardees will receive P50,000.00 for each awardee per category from Philippine Sports Commission Women in Sports.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” THE REVELATION 1: 8

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