Mikee pushes for ‘godfather’ program, Department of Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Newly elected Party List Representative Mikee Romero is planning to call for a meeting among the godfathers of Philippine sports.

Romero, recently elected to Congress under the banner of 1Pacman, said on top of the agenda is the creation of a brand-new training center for the national athletes.

Even before he ran in the May 9 elections, Romero has been an avid supporter of sports, as team owner of GlobalPort in the PBA and former head of the shooting and cycling associations.

The young businessman, who in 2014 ranked No. 33 in Forbes’ distinguished list of 50 wealthiest Filipinos with a net worth of $375 million, is also a supporter of women’s volleyball and polo, the sport he plays.

Yesterday, Romero graced the PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate, and talked about his immediate plans as a congressman, including the training center to be built somewhere in Pampanga.

“One of the bills I will push for is to create the training center at Clark,” said Romero of the project that may cost at least P1 billion.

Romero said the godfathers of Philippine sports can help put up the seed money for the ambitious project. He dropped the names of Smart/PLDT boss Manny V. Pangilinan, San Miguel Corporation president Ramon S. Ang, Ambassador Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, Alaska Milk owner Wilfred Uytengsu and pawnshop magnate Jean Henry Lhuillier.

“They all have one thing in common: they are all rich lovers of sports. We will invite these godfathers to a caucus or a forum and let them commit if we can come up with a seed money of P1 billion for the new training center,” said Romero.

Pangilinan has a sports foundation that helps basketball, boxing, badminton, cycling, football and running; Uytengsu for basketball, triathlon and soccer; and Lhuillier for tennis and softball. Cojuangco used to be the biggest supporter of basketball in the country.

Romero also reiterated his plans to push for the creation of a Department of Sports to replace the Philippine Sports Commission, saying a DOS will help solve the perennial problem of lack of budget for sports.

He said having a DOS would mean that sports will have its own voice in the Cabinet. 

“You will have a budget from the national treasury. Sports will no longer have to beg for our athletes. It will have its own budget, its own platform,” Romero said.

Romero, who’s into the port, construction and air transport business, said the lack of budget has always been the number one excuse each time the country fails to deliver the medals in the international events like the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympics.

“Money has always been a very, very big aspect in sports,” said Romero.

But he said it should be a partnership between the government and the private sector.

“It should be a joint undertaking. We need to have the private sector, people like Danding Cojuangco, Ramon Ang, Manny Pangilinan, Wilfred Uytengsu and Jean Henry Lhuillier to partner with the government,” he said.

The Philippine Olympic Committee, he said, should also play a role in this undertaking.

Romero admitted that the creation of a DOS “will take longer” than expected but stressed that he will use his current position to push for it.

“I will push for it until it becomes a law,” said Romero, hoping for inclusion in the House Committee on Youth and Sports in the 17th Congress.

“As (incoming) President (Rodrigo) Duterte said, ‘Change is coming.’ Let us also change the course of Philippine sports,” said Romero, who will be joined in Congress by fellow 1Pacman nominee Eric Pineda.

“My victory in the elections is also a victory for Philippine sports,” said Romero, who also targets one million jobs in five years through his various businesses.

“In the next five years I will try to create one million jobs. In total, I’ve created 100,000 jobs in my businesses. There is pressure but it can be done,” he said.