UP to this time (July 3), President Ferndinand Marcos, Jr. has yet to appoint a new chairman and commissioners for the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Stakeholders in sports are still waiting for the new PSC Board as former PSC chairman William "Butch" Ramirez and former commissioners Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxey, Celia Kiram, and Arnold Agustin ended their six-year term at noon on June 30 being appointees of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte whose term also ended at the same time.
While the waiting continues, it's business as usual at PSC as the national sports agency continues to provide for the needs of the national athletes.
A few names have also cropped up for the PSC chief role, among those are former PBA commissioner Noli Eala, former Games and Amusements Board chairman Abraham Mitra, sepak takraw chief Karen Tanchanco Caballero, kickboxing secretary general Wharton Chan and squash head Robert Bachmann.
Whether the new PSC chairman will come from the list above or not, it is our sincere hope and prayer that President BBM will choose someone who does not only have a background in sports but also management expertise and 'malasakit' for Philippine sports (down to the grassroots level), particularly for the national athletes and coaches.
The 2016-2022 PSC Board ushered in the golden era of Philippine sports with the sterling one-gold, two-silver, and one-bronze medal performance of Team PH in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The lone gold of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz alone was one for the books but the contributions of boxing silver medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial further raised our hopes and boosted our national pride that yes, the Filipino can!
World champions were also produced during the term of Sir Butch and his board - gymnast Carlos Yulo (floor exercise gold in 2019 Stuttgart, vault gold in 2021 Kitakyushu); and boxer Petecio (2019 Aiba World Women's Boxing Championships).
The Philippines emerged overall champion when the country hosted the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019.
The former PSC Board also intensified grassroots sports programs such as the Laro't Saya sa Parke, Batang Pinoy Championships, Philippine National Games, Indigenous People's Games, women in sports, Children's Games, and Sports for Peace (Bola hindi Bala), among others.
While the country has battled Covid-19 since 2020, the national sports agency shifted some of its programs online, holding a series of coaching seminars, National Sports Summits, and regular Sports Hour or weekly conversations featuring sports officials, athletes, and coaches.
The revival of the Philippine Sports Institute also paved the way for PSC services and programs to be felt in the countryside.
The PSC, with its previous board, also formed part in realizing the Philippine Sports Training Center (PSTC) and the National Academy of Sports - landmark sports facilities aimed at producing future Olympians and world champions and raising Filipino athletes' competitiveness in the international arena.
Hoping that the new PSC Board will have representation from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, just like the previous board composition, to ensure that the Sports For All mantra of the national sports agency will continue until 2028.
With this, I thank and congratulate Sir Butch and his board for a job well done in the past six years. See you around!