Vindication

After the Philippines’ debacle in the Singapore Sea Games where it placed sixth, I suggested that we scrap our grassroots program and instead focus on hiring Fil-Ams.  It drew the ire of several national sports officials who even wanted my head chopped and also branded me as “racist”.  Former Gintong Alay founder Michael  Keon and former PSC executive director  Lucring Calo, came to my rescue, even calling for the resignation of POC officials for the humiliating finish of the country.  Just recently, current PSC chair Butch Ramirez said “ Why do we get athletes with foreign blood? Because we don’t have successors to our  current heroes.”  Ramirez of course wants that grassroots development gets prioritized and encouraged our search for talent and improve level of coaching, instead of scouring overseas to beef up our national team.  Since winning our last Sea Games crown in 2005, the Philippines have skidded downward finishing sixth again in last year’s edition of the Games in Kuala Lumpur.  In almost a century  of competing in the  Olympics,  we have yet to win a gold medal.  The country has only won 3 silvers, a  “feat” already surpassed by war-torn Vietnam and Singapore.  Onyok Velasco won silver in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics duplicating  the win of Anthony Villanueva in the  1964 Tokyo Olympics. Of course Hidilyn Diaz won  another silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics after 20 years.  Ramirez however is not desperate.  Infact he is hopeful that we will win our first gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  Davao businessman Dennis Uy has organized the SiklabAtleta Foundation, which aims to train elite athletes and sustaining that drive.  To recall, Michael Keon’s Gintong Alay produced the likes of Lydia De Vega, Renato Del Prado and Elma Muros who even won medals in the Asian Games. For my part I discovered Ilonggo Herman Suizo who became the best-placed Filipino marathon runner after placing 51st in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  I also discovered Cebuano Roy Vence, six-time Milo Marathon champion who represented the  country  in the Atlanta  Olympics  in 1996. True  to what  Ramirez is saying , after our best athletes, there’s nobody on sight.  In local running, no male runner has come close to Suizo, Vence and current  marathon record holder Vertek Buenavista while nobody is in a position to replace Mary Joy Tabal in the women’s side. That’s the sad state of our sports program.

Sampalin mo

The Cebu City Sports Commission headed by chairman Edward Hayco called a meeting with race organizers to thresh out problems in conducting running event.  The Commission was bombarded with complaints coming from sports material suppliers  and the runners themselves who were “jipped” by these scalawag organizers. One singlet supplier said he was not paid by an organizer who just disappeared “parang bula”.  Commissioners Alan Delantar and  Nimrod Quiñones suggested that a memorandum of agreement must be executed between the suppliers and organizers who will likewise be required to post a surety bond. Sanctions will also be made.  When ask what other punishment will be implemented, I again offered to follow President Digong’s suggestion “Sampalin mo?  Would you like to do the honor Chair Ed?

HARLEM GLOBE TROTTERS, who were regarded as “Clowns of Basketball”, proved they are the best if they played seriously.  In 1940, the Trotters won the world’s professional basketball championship in a tournament that included every great pro team in the country.  In 1948, the Trotters beat the Minneapolis   Lakers  (now Los Angeles Lakers) who were led by 6’10” George Mikan.  The Trotters won 61-59 in the game watched by 17,853 fans in Chicago.