New PSC board set to face challenge

MANILA, Philippines - Incoming Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez yesterday described the new PSC board, including four neophyte commissioners, as a “strong unit” that’s out to bring Philippine sports to great heights.

Ramirez, tasked by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to once again head the government sports agency, welcomed the appointment of commissioners Fatima Celia Kiram, Charles Maxey, Arnold Agustin and Ramon Fernandez.

“We are here to work as a team. We are here to take our jobs seriously. We will face the challenge,” Ramirez told The STAR yesterday afternoon over the phone.

The 65-year-old Ramirez, who served as PSC chairman from 2005 until 2009, also appointed lawyer Carlo Abarquez as his executive director. With a full roster, the new PSC board vowed to waste no time serving the sports community.

On Tuesday, Ramirez and his new team will sit down with the outgoing members of the PSC board, including chairman Richie Garcia and commissioners Salvador Andrada, Iggy Clavecilla, Jolly Gomez and Akiko Thomson-Guevarra.

“We will discuss the transition and then it’s time to work,” said the former athletic director of Ateneo de Davao.

“We have a very simple plan,” said Ramirez, who was PSC chairman when the Philippines hosted the 2005 Southeast Asian Games and won the overall title for the first time in history.

“The order from the President is for us to strengthen sports in the countryside. We will push for stronger grassroots development programs and revive the Philippine Sports Institute,” said Ramirez.

“We will put up training centers in the different regions and try to identify more talents. We also want to make our presence felt in international competitions. It’s a simple plan,” said the sports advocate from Davao City.

Of the four commissioners, only Fernandez’ name rings a bell. He is the former basketball superstar, the first player to win four MVP awards in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Though away from the limelight after choosing to venture into business in the south, Fernandez has kept himself abreast with Philippine sports. He said it’s about time the country regains its lofty status in the international arena.

Kiram is the widow of the Sultan of Sulu and Philippine Olympic Committee mainstay, Jamalul Kiram. Maxey, on the other hand, is a sportswriter from Davao who went on to handle the business page of Sunstar Davao, and reportedly enjoyed the support of the Davao City Sports Council.

Agustin has been a long-time PSC officer, who headed the Assistance and Coordination Division.

Ramirez said Abarquez, a practicing lawyer from Manila, was a former member of the Ateneo de Manila high school basketball team.