Friday, August 29, 2008 Malilong: Need for new sports leaders By Frank Malilong The Other Side
LET'S cut the b.s. and declare without equivocation that we failed dismally in the recently-concluded Beijing Olympics. The sooner we do that the better for Philippine sports. I am not denigrating the victory of our wushu team; they deserve a pat on the back and the P1.5 million that goes with it but come on, wushu was only a demonstration sport and thus attracted very little, if at all, attention from the world’s sporting giants.
I am not even asking for a mea culpa. Considering this country’s history of shameful debacle in the quadrennial world games, it is not entirely fair to crucify anyone for this year’s disaster. How many Olympics have we participated in? How many medals have we won so far?
Something is wrong somewhere. Reader Tony Padua says it is our uncontrolled population growth that has stunted the development of our athletes. But we were not too many 50 years ago so how come we were not more successful then?
The curse that has condemned us to the status of pygmies in the Olympics has to be identified and we need fresh faces and imaginative minds in the sports leadership to do that. This is not an indictment of the present leadership but they had their chance but muffed it and we’re desperate.
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For this judge, the clock never stops. I have heard many things said about Judge Geraldine Faith Econg, both good and unfavorable, but if there’s one thing you can’t say against her it is that she sleeps on her job.
In fact, many lawyers are beginning to ask if she sleeps at all. She is known to continue hearing cases outside of the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. usual schedule. In a recent case, she was so relentless that the parties and their lawyers were not able to go home until midnight. But they were all in smiles when they left because not only did she successfully broker a win-win agreement, she treated them to dinner as well.
(For the peace of mind of my editors and colleagues in the bar, let me state that I am no longer representing anyone in a case before Judge Econg and I don’t intend to, now or in the future.)
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Ricky Ballesteros should reconsider his decision to close the main gate to the Cebu City Sports Center oval. The last time I spoke to him, Ricky allayed fears that the gate’s closure could delay medical attention in case of an emergency, saying that the gate can easily be opened.
An incident early this week proved him wrong when a walker collapsed from exhaustion. The ERUF promptly responded but its volunteers couldn’t immediately get inside the oval because the gate was locked.
I really see no reason to close that gate in the first place. If the purpose is to regulate the entry of people to the oval, they can very well do that without having to shut off the gate. As it is, you have to pass through three entrances before you can get inside the compound. The only other facility that has the same number of barriers is the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa.
Ricky closed the gate after I wrote about the oval’s deplorable sanitary condition but I do not think he was getting even with me and the others for complaining. He is a better person than that.
The hallway below the grandstand that Ricky has designated as the only entrance route has become narrower because of ongoing repair work in the basement. As a public servant, Ricky knows that his duty is not to make life difficult for taxpayers.
