All local government units are mandated by law to hold sports competitions at least once a year.
A budgetary allocation is provided for (or how to source it out) in the Local Government Code.
Regardless of how small or large its IRA allotment, an LGU must set aside a portion of their budget for youth and sports activities to comply with this constitutional requirement.
At this point, most organizers automatically seed basketball as its top most offering, putting other team sports such as softball, baseball, volleyball, table and lawn tennis, cycling, etc., as secondary choices.
Because budgetary requirements (uniforms, equipment, technical, venue) are necessary to stage organized sports contests even at this small level, some poor LGUs succumbed and fail to hold a sportsfest in their area due to high costs.
This is where creativity comes.
I have seen how many well-funded LGUs – even barangays with big IRAs – give out free tailored uniforms to participating teams to the delight of the players and coaches.
LGUs belonging to the 4th, 5th and 6th classes and many barangays with funding shortages require participants to shoulder their personal uniforms so that the sportsfest might be pursued. Team members often resort to solicitations from among neighborhood and civic-minded residents and produce decent uniforms just so they could compete in the spirit of the games.
Most LGUs, however, are inclined to spend their sports budget during fiesta celebrations by including a boxing tournament which is what generally their constituents want. When this budget is done for, the LGUs usually scrounge somewhere else when they are asked to spend for their athletes who represent them in the Palarong Pambansa regional and national levels.
LGUs – barangays, municipalities, cities and provinces – have their respective national alliances and groups. Barangays are affiliated with the Liga ng mga Barangay (or LIGA); towns/municipalities have the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) and the cities, the League of Cities of the Philippines and Provinces, the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP).
What I understand is that financially-ill-equipped member LGUs are assisted by their respective associations if it is necessary.
What for are groups and blocs like these if they are unable to help their fellow members? Right?
So, in the spirit of cooperation and camaraderie, shouldn’t LGUs facing some funding shortage as far as sports budgets are concerned come to their respective associations and ask for help?
No need to stress that human resource is the most important component in effective governance. A healthy citizenry will need less of basic public health care, do you agree?
LGUs financially incapable of pursuing a sportsfest for its youths could produce a blueprint of its sports program, lay it down before League officials and therefore could ask their respective League to grant them reasonable funding assistance.
For starters, they should avoid seeding basketball as top sports priority. Basketball is already too well-developed. Many youths in the barrios prefer to play volleyball and softball (both for boys & girls) and baseball even in crudely shaped paddy fields. These games don’t need well-tailored uniforms for the participants to play with their heart and soul.
LGUs can initially hold organized sports contests with two or three events for as long as these are very well conducted, technically speaking. Spectators don’t want to watch games that are refereed stupidly and with bias.
If this constitutional mandate is enforced by the DILG to he letter, we can expect a positive upheaval of sorts in all LGUs around the archipelago.
Sports makes for healthy living. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
