A LINE from a superhero movie goes something like, “With great power comes great responsibility.” This holds true in the real world as well. Power does not mean that one can leap a multistory building at a single bound or stop a runaway LRT with bare hands. On second thought, our LRTs can never go berserk as they’re always grounded.
Power in ordinary mortals means the competence, capacity and ability to influence, command, lead, and control subordinates in the performance of tasks, in accordance with their specific mandates. Some get into that position because they earned it and are suited for it. Some are in, despite limited knowledge on the field, because of past favors from the more powerful and mighty or they have the resources and muscle to perpetuate them into power.
Except for the popular team sports and a few individual athletes that were supported by corporate entities, the nation’s sports program for more than a decade wallowed in the mud pit of insignificance. The national governing body for sports was highly politicized and prostituted that millions in pesos worth of funds evaporated faster than morning dew.
Because of the recent upheaval in the Philippine Olympic Committee landscape where the “old-ligarches” were finally and miraculously replaced, stakeholders are now getting their confidence back in supporting the country’s sporting program.
The Philippine Sports Commission supports the training of athletes and the bulk of the funding comes from the P1.2-billion annual subsidy from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). A few days ago, it was reported by PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez that the National Economic and Development Authority assured the PSC of additional funding of at least P2.5 billion beginning 2019.
This is welcome news for the PSC as, obviously, resources will be needed for the different sports programs to continue. The promised funding will help in the improvement and development of the facilities in the identified regional training centers, as well as ongoing programs like Batang Pinoy and National Games.
Trust is now beginning to show for the people holding court. It has been a while since the country had performed well in regional competitions, and the coming SEA Games, which we will be hosting next year, will be the gauge if these people entrusted with the power to uplift Philippine sports would have earned their keep.
Since I’m not familiar with the other PSC commissioners, I’ll speak only of Commissioner Fernandez, as most of us had been familiar with his career. As a bemedaled national athlete and one of the legends of Philippine basketball, he should know what he’s doing at his office.
From the sandlot courts of Maasin, Leyte where he started playing basketball up to his days at the University of San Carlos, down to his commercial and professional basketball career, Commissioner Mon knows and had experienced the hardships of an athlete. This is the kind of person that should be holding positions in the nation’s sports governing bodies.
Because he had gone through the process, Fernandez has a genuine feel for the needs of athletes. And with his impressive sporting background, stakeholders will have more confidence in sharing their resources, aware of the fact that funds will be funneled through its intended purpose.
But let us not be passive. It is also our duty to be proactive and do our share, whichever way we can, to assist our sports officials, the provincial, city and municipal governments, in the pursuit of sporting excellence. With more than a hundred million people scattered on 7,100 islands, it is impossible not to find gems of talents, now that it’s heading toward the right direction. We hope it won’t follow the LRT’s example of always getting stalled on the tracks./PN
