Sports Eye
The endless PH sports woes
By
Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
WE are just over four months away from hosting the 30th Southeast Asia Games
this year but until now our national governing sports bodies, the Philippine
Olympic Committee’ and Philippines Sports commission’s (POC) power squabble continue.
Worse, another tarnishing image for our country’s sports cropped up lately
pertaining to our hosting the meet due to corruption, accusing the privately
formed organizing Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee
(PHISGOC) Foundation headed by Congressman Alan Peter Cayetano. Although
President Duterte’s trust and confidence to Cayetano still stands, Digong
stripped PHISGOC of its mandate to run the meet and directed the government
owned POC, Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) and the Department of Tourism
(DOT) to principally take charge everything related to our country’s hosting to
avoid any speculation.
According to the latest format, the POC will handle the preparations of the event and the entries of our national athletes representing our country with the names of our nationals submitted by the different National Sport Associations (NSA), while the PSC’s job is to fundi the event to ensure the success of the affair (including our nationals) which PSC roughly estimated six billion of pesos.
The DOT will be in-charge of the tourism promotions
Based on my experience in Singapore when my eldest son Jazy and I watched the 28th SEA Games in 2015, I have no doubt that DOT will play a major role in the event since an international sports competition like SEA Games will surely attract tourists from other countries and that will provide tourism revenues for the government. We met some sports-minded tourists from different countries who came and watched the games especially football, basketball and the cycling events.
Back to the political squabble, it’s annoying that the POC leadership row is still unresolved affecting the sports community with the SEA Games is just around the corner. The power squabble irked some of our national sports leaders and the serious concern was expressed by track and field top honcho Philip Juico who called for peace, unity and stability among our sports leaders for the sake of the SEA Games and country. The POC power struggle will try to resolve anew its internal differences by holding a very crucial extraordinary general assembly today (July 18).
I
doff my hat to him. He doesn’t like war but peace, unlike some of his comrades
in the NSAs who are position greedy. Same thing to 1-Pacman party list Rep.
Michael Romero. The former national cycling president (PhilCycling) Romero, is
pushing firmly for specific reforms in sports like creating a Department of
Sports, improve the funding for the PSC, and promotions for athletes in
military service who earn medal in international sports competitions. Romero
owns the Globalport team in PBA and the budget airline carrier Air Asia. He is
now the president of the 54-member Party-list Coalition.
Mabuhay kayo mga ginoo. You got my
heart because you love sports like our Pangasinan Gov. Amado I. Espino lll.
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My big thanks to the people who generously supported the “First Pangasinan Cycling Grand Prix 2019, a project of my son Jazy held on July 14 that helped the bikefest a very successful affair: Gov. Pogi Espino, engineers Rodolfo “Boy” Dion and John Garcia, Alex Billan of Excellent Noodles and Go for Gold of Jeremy Go. Mabuhay din po kayo.
* * * *
QUOTE
OF THE WEEK: Let
all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you,
with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in Christ forgave you. EPHESIANS 4: 31-32
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