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Thursday, February 03, 2005
Oyson: P150M sufficient for SEA Games overall title
By Manuel N. Oyson, Jr.
Counter Punch
DO YOU really believe that money talks? I am asking this because the amount of P150 million has been raised from private sources for the Philippine campaign in the Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 27-Dec. 5. But is money the main consideration for capturing the championship in the 23rd SEA Games? Mind you, this is separate from the P800 million to P1 billion the government is to splurge on for the hosting of the games.
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo was ecstatic when the recent pledging session at Malacañang Palace drew the supportive and collective endorsement of close to 200 sports officials and representatives of private firms and corporations.
Arroyo described as “unbelievable” the fact that they did not have a hard time in raising the money. In other words, no arms were twisted.
BATTLE CRY. What was targeted only as P120 million instead reached P150 million in the country’s battle cry, “Medalyang ginto. May laban tayo (Go for the gold).” The firms’ representatives also selected the national sports associations they will sponsor. San Miguel Corp. threw in P100 million for the training of the basketball, baseball, boxing, judo, karatedo, wushu and archery teams.
Many sports officials chorused in unison: “We have a chance.” The money will be used for the training of some 600 athletes in the run-up to the biennial event nine months from now.
Golfer and sportsman Tony Boy Cojuangco chipped in with P10 million for aquatics. The First Gentleman anted the pot with his own P4 million for chess.
POC president Peping Cojuangco underwrote the training for the equestrian team. His daughter, Mikee C. Jaworski, was a double gold medallist in the equestrian events in the Asian Games 2002 in Busan.
120 GOLDS. If money really talks, still I cannot share the optimism of many of our sports officials that the Philippines will collect 120 golds in the Manila Seag. They still have to show by statistics how this is possible. Not just by guesswork. Unless they have forgotten that RP’s rivals are just as formidable. Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are no pushovers.
There were also godfathers for arnis, athletics, cycling, badminton, billiards, bodybuilding, bowling, fencing, dancesport, squash and tennis, football, sepak takraw, shooting, taekwondo, golf, gymnastics and triathlon. However, such events as canoeing, pencak silat, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling failed to get any sponsor.
BEST FOOD. The First Gentleman, however, downplayed the absence of more sponsors and added that there is no reason to worry. He explained that events like canoeing, pencak silat, petanque, lawn balls and muay Thai are unpopular and too indigenous in nature. Still, he voiced optimism of RP’s being No.1 in the Seag with its 120-gold target.
The First Gentleman Foundation raised P20 million for Filipino athletes to Vietnam in 2003. The Philippines wound up fourth overall behind the Vietnamese. However, Arroyo clarified that the money raised in the recent pledging will not pass through the FGF or the Philippine Sports Commission.
“The NSA’s will deal directly with the various sports godfathers. The athletes themselves are expected to have the best food and best equipment.”
Let us wait and see.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There appear to be communication problems within the Philsoc itself. There are just too many people asking for it (especially on money matters) and even for the President herself. There has to be some order here, lest people think that there is more than one head of the Philsoc (and even the POC).” – Philip Ella Juico, in his column, “Free For All” in Today
(mno@sunstar.com.ph)
(February 3, 2005 issue)
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