THERE’S a picture circulating online of members of Davao’s delegation in the Palarong Pambansa sleeping on pieces of cartons for three nights since arriving in Antique for the Palarong Pambansa because the supplier failed to deliver the promised mats. That’s a problem that the parents of the current generation of players who played in Palaro of the past faced.
Hahay DepEd, when are you going to learn to do things smoothly? Problems in accommodation and food pop up every year and some of the parents of some players, those who are rich enough or resourceful enough, have learned not to rely on DepEd when it comes to the welfare of their kids. Why? Because it seems DepEd simply doesn’t care and if someone points it out, officials either say, “That’s not my problem,” or “Please talk to my superior.”
And where are these superiors? Staying in the best hotels in the city, unlike the athletes they are tasked to supervise. And almost regularly, it’s the community media that reports situations like these because it’s the community press that either gets to stay with the delegation they cover or gets to visit them. The national media gets ferried around like VIPs by DepEd, because they don’t care what others say as long as they get good press in the national papers.
Remember, it took a death for DepEd to change the way it holds boxing competition and with the way things are going, I think it’s going to take a disaster before it considers to prioritize athletes’ accommodation.
And that’s just the accommodation. Officiating is yet another Palaro monster parents, coaches and players meet regularly.
Here’s a reaction to my previous column from Vince.
“ Just like to comment on the said sport competition, my son played last year in Naga and fortunately in Albay. I noticed that the officiating team is not well experienced and doesn’t have the knowledge about the sport that they are officiating in. We the parents are more knowledgeable since we’ve been exposed to the sport and we are players of the said sport. Why not hire trained referees instead?
If DepEd hires trained referees, then their PE teachers who look forward to the Palaro and gets to officiate, at best, three times a year, won’t get to earn promotion points and extra allowance. Since these teachers scratch the back of their supervisors, who scratch the backs of their regional directors, who scratch the back of their national officials....
“In Albay the linesman even cheered when our opponent made a goal, what the...” he continued.
Precisely. What the …