GAB to Enrich Boxing?

"With the theme 'Building the Nation's Champions Towards Global Recognition,' the objective of the convention is geared towards the enrichment of professional boxing in the country."

This is the impressive statement declared about the first ever GAB Philippine Annual Boxing Convention that ended yesterday at the Hotel Hyatt and Casino Manila. And to top this, here's another one.

"the launching of this presidential priority program is aimed at creating sound policies and avenues for the common welfare and protection of Filipino fighters and future generations of aspiring pro boxers."

Ambitious, impressive. Achievable? Hmmm. Your guess is as good as mine. Mark the date and keep these statements in your memory banks. I'm going to do exactly the same thing.

The state of Philippine boxing under the management of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has been criticized heavily in the past and today. But throughout all these, the government agency under the Office of the President has hung on tough and has continued to run the country's boxing affairs.

The boxing convention thus comes at a right time. If the intentions of the GAB are sincere, we can then expect the criticisms against it to die down and fade away in the future. But will this happen? Well, there are skeptics and optimists. The skeptics will say that the convention is just a waste of money; a junket that won't produce any substantial gains and fruits for boxing.

On the other hand, the optimists would like to believe that GAB Chairman Eric Buhain, during the relatively brief time he's had on the job, has observed how the agency is run by the people he has inherited. The hopeful lot would like to believe that Buhain has seen that there is a lot of room for improvement and that he's dead serious in cleaning up the store with the goal of improving boxing and all the other professional sports under its care.

According the GAB Commissioner Alex Paglumotan, the convention included lecture forums including subject matters in medical, officiating, refereeing, judging and the pro boxing rules and regulations. Other activities include a Gala Night and Awarding Ceremonies, a boxing card featuring a Pan Asia Boxing Association (PABA) championship fight.

The irony of it all is that there will be a lot more questions than answers coming out of this historic convention. And the bottom line is whether or not the activities of the convention will lead towards meeting the convention's objectives. Will all these activities "build the nation's boxers towards international recognition?" Will the convention create "sound policies and avenues for the common welfare and protection of Filipino fighters and future generations of aspiring pro boxers?"

The most interesting period that we'll need to closely observe will be the post-convention time frame. I'm going to look for developments that will adhere to the convention's objectives. What concrete results-producing action programs will be launched? What policies will be strictly followed? What steps will be taken to improve boxing?

When the GAB says it will create policies for the "welfare and protection of boxers," many of our senior colleagues in the media are asking what the GAB intends to do as regards the Luisito Espinosa non-payment case for his world title defense that took place in 1997. Will local boxers be allowed to continue to go to Thailand only to end up as whipping boys?

In terms of developing boxing, does the GAB intend to embark on a long-term and wide-reaching development program for pro boxing? What kind of assistance will they provide to boxing managers and promoters? Will our judges and referees be given opportunities to sharpen their craft? Since the GAB recognizes that there are more Manny Pacquiao's out there, what programs will they institute to find the country's future world champions?

By holding this convention, the GAB finds itself with a great opportunity to prove its critics wrong. At this point, I guess it's safe to give Chairman Buhain and his staff the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to see the GAB make a fresh start and get a make-over. The entire boxing community will be surely keeping a keen eye on the next steps that the GAB will be taking. Are they for real? Or is all this just for show?

The beauty in the prose and words of the GAB convention's goals are truly impressive. But words are just that: words. These mean nothing unless backed up with actions.

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Time-out: Happy first birthday to Paula Margarita C. Navarro!

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