Muscle flexing by PSC

Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez recently said that, “The PSC has supervisory, disciplinary and visitorial powers over national sports agencies. There will be changes in my administration, not mere changes in policies but in enforcement.” He added, “We are not under the POC.” Finally, we have separation.

With this premise, Ramirez and the PSC will now have absolute control of the selection, training and development of future national team members as well as management and supervision of the different national sporting agencies. For several years, Philippine sports had been in pursuit of relevance that eventually, hopefully, we can be eased out of our athletic limbo. Also, his statements declared that the long-time rift with the country’s highest sports governing body is still being cultivated.

This will shake the cobwebs off the geriatric supreme being at the Philippine Olympic Committee. Jose Cojuangco, better known as Peping, had been installed as high and mighty of the POC since time immemorial that his butt probably had grown barnacles while sitting on his throne.

The world spins with a huge bias to the aged and the elderly naturally takes advantage of the situation. Because of egotistic conceit, rare does a senile follow the heed of a juvenile. Almost always, fresh ideas remain an abstraction when ranged against forced antiquated conceptions.

Before, no matter the preparation and trainings done by the PSC and the 50 or so NSAs for international competitions, Cojuangco and his minions at the POC will always have the final say as to who will go to the Asian Games and the Olympics. Junketeers included.The PSC trains and funds the athlete, the POC selects them for international competitions. Maybe change has come.

But don’t expect Cojuangco to just sit back and watch “Ang Probinsyano.” Because he has ruled the POC for so long, obviously he has the influence and resources to dominate. He will move whatever he can move with his atrophied muscles to remain in power. If he succeeds, let us all say goodbye to the reforms that Ramirez made, of which a few are already on-going.

Supposedly by the end of this month, if reports are to be believed, the Philippine Sports Institute will start to exist in different locations around the country with a monthly allocation of P25 million. The PSI will seek to identify talents in prioritized sporting disciplines, train and develop them for the pool of athletes for selection to the national team.

As far as Cebu is concerned, which was designated as one of the training centers for athletics and boxing, I haven’t heard of the institute coming out from the wombs of the planning stage. Well, I would gladly accept to be corrected

if things are already in place, which I do really hope are.

Ramirez had athletes and coaches bound with contracts with stipulations and guidelines to ensure their commitments to the national team. The contracts will oblige them to report and commit for regular trainings and practices for proper monitoring. Their performances will be evaluated and those who are performing below par will be dropped from the pool. Without the signed contracts, coaches and athletes cannot claim their allowances. This will also eliminate the ghost claimants.

PSI training director Marc Velasco will do the honors of supervising and keeping track of the athletes’ progress and upon assessment, may recommend for the expulsion of an athlete from the national team. Velasco is a strength and conditioning expert who used to head the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine.

A planned multi-billion sports facility will rise in Pampanga by 2018. Called Olympic City, this will be finished in time when the country hosts the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The complex will have venues for training and competition as well as facilities for sports nutrition, sports medicine, sports physiology and psychology. Yes, aside from trainings, our athletes also need sports science to excel.

Senator Manny Pacquiao had vowed to make reforms in PH sports. Foremost, he did so by asking the warring PSC and POC to settle their differences. That unity still remains to be seen. The PacMan knows where he’s coming from and knows what he’s saying. Of all the ‘honorables’ in the hallowed halls of the Senate, Senator Manny is getting to be impressive with his blunt and direct statements compared to some of the supposedly well-schooled and well-educated members who are becoming bullies and drama queens.