2nd team Philippines assessment meeting focuses on national team selection

FINALIZATION of criteria and team selection process take front and center stage when Philippine Sports Commission chairman and 2019 Southeast Asian Games Chef de Mission William Ramirez presides over the 2nd Team Philippines Assessment Meeting on July 17 at the PICC.

Presidents and Secretaries General of SEAGbound national sports associations are expected to attend the said meeting together with Philippine Olympic Committee officials.

“We need to come together as a group to agree on the criteria. The PSC recognizes its strengths and in this case our strength lies in the knowledge of our partners on their specific sports,” explained the twotime SEAG CDM.

The meeting will be held amid the ongoing POC leadership struggle to ensure that team Philippines is on course despite the squabbles.

Ramirez disclosed that “we are looking into using the latest SEAG, Asian Games and World-level performances of our athletes as bench-marks for

selection. Basically the same criteria used by CDM teams in past multi-sports events we participate in but crafted to serve our purpose for the SEAG syempre.” The CDM, since his appointment late May this year, has been steadily working, at first with his four Commissioners assisting him and now with a complete line-up of Deputy CDMs composed of his 1st Assistant Stephen Fernandez of Taekwondo, Ada Milby of Rugby and his PSC Commissioners Celia Kiram, Arnold Agustin, Charles Maxey and Mon Fernandez. “We are keeping our focus on the athletes. Madali madala sa mga issues but as our President instructed, we need to shield the athletes from all these confusion, so that is the direction we are taking” the sports chief concluded.