The new PSC

On Monday, returning Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez will go back to his familiar routine from 2005 to 2009: waking up at the athletes’ dorm at the University of Life, early morning jogging at the oval, breakfast, then the flag ceremony at Rizal Memorial at 8 a.m.  At 66, the PSC chair is keeping himself in shape for the challenges ahead. He has many important goals set for Philippine sports, and now he finally has the people and resources to complete them. It wasn’t where he expected to be, but he embraces his return with the same determination he has always had for national sports.

In the tone set during the inauguration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the new system at the commission will be a dramatic departure from how things have been done in the past 26 years. Firstly, each of the commissioners will have their own areas of concern and responsibilities then they formally convene second week of July. Four-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Ramon Fernandez will be based in Cebu and will handle athlete development and team sports from there. Pencak Silat president Dr. Celia Kiram will strengthen women’s sports and ties with Muslim Mindanao, another strong suit of Ramirez, whose Sports for Peace and “Bola, Hindi Bala” programs have been recognized repeatedly by the national government. Long-time PSC officer Arnold Agustin will be in charge of facilities, sports for the differently-abled (Philspada) and assist in relationships with the POC, while former sports editor Charles Maxey will handle projects like the Palarong Pambansa and provide support for sports development in Mindanao. Maxey was also an officer of the Sports Development Division of the Davao City Mayor’s Office. The PSC board will also discuss how to divide the dozens of national sports associations among themselves.

But these changes do not mean that Ramirez and company are making wholesale changes within the PSC itself. 

“No one is an enemy, we are all working for the good of Philippine Sports,” Ramirez told The STAR. “We are keeping everybody who wants to work with us and be productive. The problem in the past is that every new administration changes even the things that are working. We are keeping the status quo as long as it is effective.”

In preliminary discussions with Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco, the goal is to host the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and prepare for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. During Ramirez’s first tenure, the country ruled the 2005 Southeast Asian Games. Ramirez and his board will forego the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, since they were not part of the preparations, and there is really no need for them to be there. Their presence is needed more urgently in the Philippines. The first month in office, the PSC board will keep itself busy gathering data on athletes and NSAs, to really gauge who has been performing and doing their job.

“All you really need is a leader with the passion and the time, and intention to make a difference,” says Ramirez. “Then, you get a good coach with the ability to inspire, and give them the talented athletes who can really perform. If we give them the proper support, they will reap results for at least two Olympic cycles.”

One major difference this time around is that all the problems that beset Ramirez in his first run as PSC chair are no longer there. Now, he has direct access to the Chief Executive if he runs into any problems. All of his board members have the same, clear agenda, a two-pronged desire to improve our international sports standing and boost grassroots development in an inclusive management style that has always been his trademark. Most important of all, funding will no longer be a problem. Beyond the strong backing of a president for whom he was deputy campaign manager, Ramirez has already reached out to new Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) boss Andrea Domingo, who has given him the assurance that the PSC will receive the full five percent that is due from PAGCOR under the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) law. That is great news in itself, since for roughly a quarter of a century, the country’s gaming agency has only been remitting half of its mandated contribution, forcing the PSC to source its sustenance from other sources.

What really excites Ramirez, a born educator, is the realization of the Philippine Sports Institute, under whose umbrella he can revive his linkages with foreign sports institutions and learning institutes. The PSI can implement long-term programs, gather knowledge, and forge ties with the strongest sports schools and government entities all over the globe, a gold mine of techniques and information that will push Philippine sports to a higher level. It was this kind of exposure and training with Olympic and world champions that boosted the country to the top of Southeast Asian in 2005. 

Initially, Ramirez was reluctant to take his old post once again. He was enjoying semi-retirement and life on his farm, and could just continue doing his sports clinics in Davao. In fact, he even prepared a plan for whomever was appointed to the PSC chair, little did he know that he would be implementing his own plan, in a much better scenario than what he faced almost a decade ago. Given all of the new circumstances and a clean slate, the new PSC board is driven to work tirelessly for the improvement of the state of the Filipino athlete, and simply do what is right. Echoing the sentiments of the president, Ramirez says he and his board are working for the Filipino people, and have a plan in place to finally set our national sports program on the path to long-term success.