Saturday, November 15, 2008 Silent but effective manager By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
HE IS a Filipino athletes' ally, a silent yet effective manager at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) who believes the country will one day get that elusive Olympic gold.
Joseph Encabo made himself clear in making such bold prediction when he sat down with Sun.Star Davao. Just like his boss at the PSC, Encabo always thinks positive and believes in the potential of the Filipino athlete.
Never mind if the country's chances for an Olympic gold goes slimmer and slimmer with each Games, or if people laugh when one issues a bold forecast on the Philippines' participation in the world's biggest sports competition.
"I really think that there will come a time when the Philippines will win that Olympic gold. We have potential athletes who make good in international competitions," Encabo said.
The 33-year-old Encabo certainly had seen Philippine sports through the years since the time he joined the PSC in 2001 and up to now when he is the government body's project development officer V and senior executive assistant to PSC Chairman William "Butch" Ramirez.
Encabo said if the country sets its direction right and if all sports leaders work religiously Philippine sports will have its share of glorious moments.
And Encabo takes pride in contributing something to Philippine sports with his work at the PSC, and people of Davao could also take pride in him having come from Davao City.
Joy, as friends and relatives call Encabo, was born and raised in Davao.
He spent his academic days at the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU), from kindergarten until such time he finished college with a degree on AB Sociology.
He married the former Myra Palma Gil and the couple had three children -- six-year-old Jose Patrick, four-year-old Jade Carmel and two-year-old Jonah Ysabela.
Joy loves to play basketball but because of his job, which sees him flying from Davao to Manila to Davao, from time to time he had long shifted to golf.
For him, playing golf is fun as Encabo gets to meet new friends each time he is in the fairways.
"I'm now into golf and I really enjoy it," Encabo said.
"It's not about counting how many pars or birdies that you make, but the number of friends you make each day," added Encabo, who is also the head of the PSC Mindanao Satellite Office.
At the moment, Encabo is the project director of the first-ever Mindanao Children's Games, which started Friday and ends on Sunday at the University of Mindanao (UM) Matina campus. The MCG is one of the projects under Ramirez's Sports for Peace program.
The Mindanao Children's Games drew a total of 1,200 kids from all over Mindanao, including those from the war-torn areas in Central Mindanao.
Encabo said working at the PSC has widened his scope and made him meet all kinds of people, from lowly officials to top government executives. This is not to mention that his job also took him to other countries like Australia and some of the Asian nations.
He is young and Encabo still has a lot to do at the PSC. A higher position and a bigger job could even be forthcoming for Encabo. Several days ago, a national paper named him as one of the individuals who are being eyed to become the next PSC commissioner.
Encabo, however, refused to comment on the matter except to offer a smile every time the inquisitive members of the press ask him.
And he would rather concentrate and talk about the job at hand and that is the historic Mindanao Children's Games which he is working very hard on to become a successful project.
