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Thursday, April 15, 2004
Oyson: No funds for Palaro 2004
By Manuel N. Oyson Jr.
Counter punch
In an earlier column, we cited President GMA’s challenge to sports officials to be number one in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games (Seag) in Manila. Well and good. And what is their response to PGMA’s challenge? A deafening silence from our sports honchos. At least that’s how we look at it.
For one, the Palarong Pambansa is in danger of being scrapped this year. How so? The Philippine Sports Commission, in its 2004 budget request, did not include the amount needed for the Palaro. How then can it prepare? Remember that it was only five months ago in October in Tubod, Lanao del Norte that we he had our latest Palaro, for reasons that many of you already know.
SILENT. Under the Governance of the Basic Education Law, the mandate to handle inter-schools competitions from the intramural, district, division and regional meets lies with the Department of Education and Culture (DepEd). But the culmination of all these meets which is the Palarong Pambansa, is the responsibility of the PSC, under the same law authored by Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta.
The DepEd has already done its part by staging and accomplishing the regional athletic meets throughout the 17 regions of the country, in preparation for the Palaro 2004. But the PSC, for its part is silent whether or not it has the funds for the Palaro this year. It did not even explain that the program is delayed or put on hold, because the country will have its presidential elections on May 10.
FIERCE BID. To hear it from Philip Ella Juico, the former chair of the PSC, who now writes a sports column for Sports Today: “During the unlamented Marcos regime, the Palaro was the great sports event during an election year.” He said that politicians and officials would go out of their way to publicly support the Palaro and be assured with it in a positive way.
Politicians who had hoped to make capital out of the event, at least had to pay for it. Many governors even fiercely bid for the right to host it in their respective provinces.
Juico said that the ultimate beneficiaries of such support, regardless of the motives of the donors, were the Palaro and Philippine sports in general. Juico concluded: “If the Administration wants to send a signal that it does not care for sports and physical fitness and that it knows what it is doing with respect to sports development, no effort must be spared to save Palaro 2004.”
He said the province and city of Iloilo are prepared to host the Palaro 2004 even on short notice, thus saving the national students games. If PGMA wants the Philippines to be number one in the 2005 Seag, she can at least set aside some funding for this year’s Palaro from unlimited discretionary funds. Otherwise, her earlier plea would be all talk and bluster for media consumption only.
PLUG. Radioman Celso “Bong” Aznar announces the “Super Duplas” exhibition to be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the former Cebu Jai-Alai fronton in Mambaling. The best of Manila team (Estipona-Socrates) faces the best of Cebu team (Gingone-Merson). Admission is free.
WELCOME BACK. Manoling Carbonnel, former secretary of the Visayanian Staffers Alumni Association Inc., now a resident of Rockville, Maryland, is in town for the Lenten holidays. He and wife Lydia tendered a dinner at Grand Majestic for 1963 UV Law classmates Cheking Seares, Danny Campos, Ely Espinoza, Ben Obando, Felixberto Aliño, Pabs Dorato, Rudy Cabrera, Coring Alesna, Vic and Linda Llenos. Other guests included Laddie Dioko, Ben Aliño, Sol Baclayon Jr. and Emma Seares. Malacañang press honcho Cerge Remonde, also a VSAI member, dropped by.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Malacañang has to step in if it wants to save the 2004 Palaro but it better move fast and assign competent people who can work under pressure and can blend well with a crisis team.” – Former PSC chair Philip E. Juico
(mno@sunstar.com.ph)
(April 15, 2004 issue)
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