SONA for sports – Philippine Star

Today, President Rodrigo Duterte gives his first State of the Nation Address, and it will no doubt be a painful but honest look at where we stand as a nation. Naturally, the focus will be on the economy, poverty, peace and order and overcoming the differences among Filipinos of different faiths, all issues he has had firsthand experience with as mayor of Davao City. Special attention will, as par for the course, be given to curbing drug addiction and other social ills that afflict the marginalized. All of these are matters that we, as a people, have to act on together to solve. 

In the past, Chief Executives have barely ever mentioned sports in their SONA speeches, and it shows where sports lies in the hierarchy of values in past administrations. It may be considered a luxury or a frivolous expense, not as part of the solution to building a stronger Philippines. Only two of our past presidents, Ferdinand Marcos and Fidel Ramos, have given sports a priority. Each sought permanent systems to elevate Philippine sports as a whole. Ramos even personally attended the Sports Summit early in his administration. But in this country, history is rewritten by the winners, and succeeding administrations did not share their love for sports, and those systems and programs either received less support, or disappeared altogether.

There are some things, however, that are very clear, and hopefully will merit some notice, if not in the SONA, then during the Duterte administration. Hopefully, sports will be empowered to help the youth and the country as a whole.

First, the government will have to spend, a lot, or find funds for major infrastructure programs, if it envisions using sports as a tool for nation-building. The country definitely needs a new multi-sports training center. Not a white elephant such as some of those left deteriorating in countries that have hosted the Olympics, but a fully functional stadium or arena they can also call home. Athletes build confidence when their training place is also used for international competitions. The Philippines has a handful of other sports complexes such as those in Tarlac, Pangasinan, Baguio and Cebu, and we make do with them when needed. But how many can be considered state of the art and conducive for events like the 2019 Southeast Asian Games?

Second, the government must review its sports laws. Salaries, allowances, fees and fines of the Games and Amusements Board, for example, are anchored in the 1970’s. Either an act of congress or a presidential decree is needed to make these prices competitive. The same goes for allowances of all national athletes. The tasks and challenges today are not the same as they were 26 years ago, when the Philippine Sports Commission first came into being. Government sports institutions need more teeth and more muscle to do their jobs. Speaking of GAB, there are some professional sports entities that have never been under GAB supervision, and will continue to stay that way because they do not see the value. GAB itself has to have stronger police and regulatory powers.

Third, the National Sports Development Fund must be updated, as well, perhaps first of all. Technological change has shrunk the sweepstakes pot, and evolved PAGCOR, the two main sources of the PSC’s revenues. The lotto did not exist when the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was required to remit to the PSC. The laws need to adapt to the times. Another example is the arnis law of 2010, which requires the sport to be taught in all schools (with no means to do it) and mandates the change of the PSC logo to reflect the newly recognized national sport. The country has too many laws lying inert for lack of implementing rules and regulations.

Fourth, painful as it seems, a direction must be set for the national sports program, and this is where the revived Philippine Sports Institute of former PSC chair Popoy Juico brings in the value of education and knowledge. What sports truly will benefit the country best? We are an archipelago with flood-prone cities. Does that mean that aquatic sports should be given more support? We have won most of our Olympic medals in boxing. Are there any studies that prove contact sports with weight classes should be the way to go? And what of the disproportionate love we have for basketball? Should it be diminished in favor of something else?