Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Ex-CCSC chair to Labella: Don’t forget Cebu sports scene
COUNCILOR Edgardo La-bella’s comments regarding the “ineptitude”’ of the people behind the national sports body that resulted to the “dismal” stint in the Beijing Olympics may have backfired.
Labella authored a resolution that urges the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to evaluate the sports program, apparently after hearing reports of incompetent sports managers, poor training modules and substandard equipment that.
He also suggested that the funds be handled by people who are “competent, dedicated and most of all, above suspicion.”
The PSC officials are taking the comments in stride.
“The comments of Honorable Ed Labella are well-taken. We will bring it up to our PSC chairman (William Ramirez) for his information,” said PSC executive director Fr. Vic Uy.
The PSC executives and the Philippine Olympic Committee heads were currently in a joint session to evaluate and assess the Olympic stint at press time yesterday.
This however, was not taken lightly by the some local sports enthusiasts, who felt that Labella should also need to examine the local sports scene before going at it with the PSC.
Difficult
“The PSC has been lambasted quite too many times already for that blunder. But have our local officials done their part to alleviate the conditions of our local athletes?
To help out? We have heard so many times, how difficult it is to even ask for boat fare for our athletes (who join national tournaments). Wala man gani sila makakuhit sa atong mga athletes aron pangutan-on kung kumusta na sila ug kamusta na ilang training,” said a source, who sought anonymity.
In May this year, a delay in the release of the budget hounded defending champion Team Cebu City in the National Softball Open in Batangas.
Penniless and hungry
“It was a total ordeal that we all had to endure. We had to go for the glory of Cebu City penniless and hungry,” Team Cebu City coach Dionisio Bacarisas told Sun.Star Cebu after the event.
In that National Open, Team Cebu City didn’t join the opening parade because it had no uniform and had to scrounge for leftovers from the Cebuanos who played for other teams for their meals.
The team was only able to go home after Councilor Jack Jakosalem assured his friends from a shipping company that the city will pay for the team’s boat fare once the budget is relesed.
Meanwhile, former CCSC chairperson Jonathan Guardo also mirrored the sentiment regarding Labella’s request.
“While I agree that there was a miss on the PSC’s side about the Olympics debacle, in fact I think there is a need to change the leadership in the PSC and Philippine Olympic Committee, I think our local officials should also put their acts together to help out our local athletes more. The past two years have not been very exemplary,” said former sports commission chairperson Jonathan Guardo.
Labella, however, could not be reached for comment.
The councilor couldn’t be contacted at his law office and official at city hall, while repeated calls to his cell phone went unanswered.
Councilor Jakosalem, who heads the council’s sports committee, said that the city is doing everything it could to empower the local athletes and help them in any way they can to excel in their chosen sport.
“I cannot speak in behalf of Councilor Labella because he is referring to the national level, but as far as the city is concerned we are doing everything that we can,” Jakosalem said.
Jakosalem added that they are concentrating on the sport that merits more attention and where athletes stand better chances of excelling. (MCB)
