Your deadline beater bumped into PSC Chair William “Butch” Ramirez at the Senate session hall when the Asiad gold medalists et al were being toasted with a resolution appreciating their heroic feats in the Jakarta Asian Games recently.
Being friends since the late 90’s, Butch readily opened up like we’ve not seen each other in ages. He was also there to follow up legislative changes to RA 6847, the law that created the Philippine Sports Commission with Sen. Sonny Angara.
We also engaged each other in individually assessing the current “not-so harmonious” conditions between the government sports agency and the flip-flopping leadership of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
I made Butch understand the need for the PSC to assert itself in the determination and implementation of policy guidelines enumerated in the PSC statute.
That the POC has become more mendicant now than it was before, the PSC must challenge it and the NSAs (national sports associations) under the POC umbrella to seek other sources of financial support other than from the government.
This is the sorry state the POC leadership has plunged itself deeper and deeper into, and it appears that the POC officialdom has no plans to recover and get out of.
That is why, I reminded Butch, the NSAs since way back in the 90’s failed to meet liquidation requirements as stipulated by the COA.
Hundreds of millions – if not billions – of taxpayers’ money have remained unaccounted for by the POC and the NSAs up to this day.
Some cases have been brought to the attention of the Ombudsman where, if I remember correctly, a few NSA officials are now facing graft charges.
But the meat of my discussion with Butch centered on the hierarchical question that has been a headache of sorts in the determination of which, between the PSC and the POC, should ideally be the country’s sports mover and leader.
The IOC (International Olympic Committee) detests government intervention. How come, some communist countries like China and Russia are not prevented from stepping in and interfering with their respective sports directions?
I suggested to Butch that amendments to the PSC law should clearly mandate the PSC as the “leader” (lead agency) in the promotion, policy direction and determination viz a vis the global sports development and the Olympic movement, specifically.
Meaning, the POC, being just an NGO begging for financial assistance from the government, should not portray itself as autonomous and independent from the PSC.
This being the case, the amendments being studied must focus to settle the hierarchical question that the PSC and the POC are on the same plane.
They are not.
The primary mandate of the PSC is to focus on grassroots development, to get every youth involved in sports.
“Sports for all” must be the underlying slogan of the PSC, wherever it goes.
Come to think of it, this is the most appropriate time for Butch to accomplish the amendments. He has the ears of Malacanang aside from having established friendly rapport with both Houses of Congress. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) “He who mocks the poor shows contempt for his Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.” (Prov.17:5) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
