PSC chief awaits big challenges

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez understands that the task at hand will be tough this 2018 but he is confident that things will work out well especially with the country’s preparation for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

The leader of the government sports agency believes that it will not just be a successful staging of the biennial meet, but the Philippines will win the SEA Games overall title.

“I’m hoping that for the rest of the five years na paglilingkod sa PSC, we can do more,” said Ramirez, who returned as head of the PSC in 2016 when he was appointed by President Duterte

“We are here for the athletes so that they can perform better in all international competitions, including in the Olympic Games, the Asian Games and the SEA Games,” Ramirez said.

“I’m very confident, we can win our first gold in the Olympics, and win again the overall championship crown in the coming 2019 SEA Games here,” the 65-year-old Ramirez added.

The country won the overall title in the SEA Games in 2005, the time that the amiable sports official first served his term as chairman of the PSC.

Before the SEA Games, the national team will compete in the Jakarta/Palembang Asian Games with hopes of surpassing the 1-3-11 goldsilver-bronze medal it had during the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

In 2020, the Philippines will then see action in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

For this 2018, Ramirez said he intends to bring the things they learned from the previous year and build on the things they have started like projects the PSC had with other sectors.

“In 2017, we did a lot of important things, we did a lot of changes,” he said.

“We have learned a lot of lessons. We collaborated with the DILG, DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education and collegiate leagues for a more grassroots development program,” Ramirez added.