Sports dictator

Last September 21 a big group of sports  officials, former athletes and perhaps the whole Cebu sports community gathered at the Fuente Osmeña Circle to protest against Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.  It was on the same day that President Digong declared it as a national day of protest.  It was also the anniversary of the 1981 declaration of Martial Law.  Former PBA icon Ramon Fernandez, now a commissioner for the Philippine Sports Commission and Cebu City Sports Commission chair Edward Hayco, led the peaceful protest. The protesters demanded for Cojuangco to step down as Philippine sports isfast sliding down.  The recent debacle was in the Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur where the Philippines registered its worst finish.  Knowing Peping, he could’nt care less. “Bahala namo diha”, could probably be on his mind.   One athlete said why don’t we ask some people from Siquijor to perform “mambo jumbo” on Peping, he might just step down.  After we left, the Fuente Circle, several militant groups carrying red flags, took over.  They were protesting on several issues including that of the former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.  Coincidentally, we were protesting on another dictator who doesn’t want to leave his office despite continued debacles in sporting events.

Who needs Mbala

In my last column, I wrote that La Salle  won two hard games against FEU and NU despite not having last year’s UAAP basketball MVP Ben Mbala.  But when Mbala returned the Archers barely survived the Adamson Falcons and just the other day, were upset by the University of the Philippines.  In those two games, Mbala scored at least 30 points. Well if you ask me, the Archers went to Mbala all the time whereas in the previous two games, everybody contributed.  Jojo Go who played well in those games, didn’t score a basket Abo Tratter was also blanked.  Aljun Melecio and Kib Montalbo each scored five points.  But not to be discounted were the terrific performances of Cebuanos Paul Desiderio, Jun Manzo and Jan Jaboneta.  Desiderio exploded for 30 points, spiked by six triples while Manzo tallied 17.  Jaboneta chipped in 6 points “Ato ni bai!”

Did you know?

When world heavyweight champ Mike Tyson knocked out challenger Michael Spinks in Atlantic City in 1988 with eight punches, his income from the fight worked out at $2.5 million per punch.  In 1997, he earned $ 75 million and became the highest paid athlete in the entire history of sport.  If he did’nt bite Evander Holyfield’s ear, he would surely have earned  even more the  following year.