Good news from Manila?

The upgrading of sports facilities, a review of sports training programs, and, I'm sure, a lot more plans forthcoming are some of the good news that we are hearing from the place we Promdis call imperial Manila.

Recent statements made by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) tell us that something will be done as the country gears up for the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this year and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

If the POC and the PSC (yes, they are two separate bodies) would do what had been announced then definitely something good is going to come out of this.

I am not saying that the two sports bodies are just doing us a lip service. Maybe this time, something will definitely happen and the optimist in me says that let us support this.

Yes, there are many things that can be done to upgrade sports facilities nationwide and not just those in Manila.

Regular visitors of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC), perhaps the best utilized sports facility of its kind all over the country, would know that it needs a new rubberized track.

Well, I don't really know if that is among the facilities that the PSC has included in its list, but I surely hope that Chairman William 'Butch' Ramirez can have the CCSC included.

I have long pushed for the regionalized training of the national team members for practical reasons and I believe that if we have good sports facilities in key areas around the Philippines, we can develop more athletes.

The program of the government in the 1990s where the hosting of the Palarong Pambansa moved from one venue to another and new sports facilities were built allowed many places to have their own sports center like the CCSC.

Unfortunately, many former Palaro hosts failed to keep the facilities in good shape and many ended up as white elephants.

The idea to build centers was good, but there was no concrete plan about the use of such facilities after the annual Palaro.

In Cebu, it has been a different story, but the cost of the upkeep of the CCSC is quite high and I hope that the PSC can help source funds to help repair the oval.

One problem with the CCSC though is its overuse.

Not only sports events are being held there, but also other major events particularly the Sinulog celebration, which takes so much toll on the facility particularly the rubberized track.

This is also the reason why I have supported the move to build a separate facility for sports at the South Road Properties (SRP), but that seems to have taken a backseat among the priorities of the city.

The POC, which is the mother organization of the various National Sports Associations (NSAs) has announced plans to go over the programs of the different NSAs and see how their athletes have fared in the international competitions.

While this may be a long-delayed reaction, we can still see some good coming out of this if the people who are going to it would not waste so much time and start working immediately.

While the other countries have prepared for the Beijing Olympics maybe since the year 2000 or even earlier, the Philippines is working on it now or maybe in the coming months. Well, we can probably get lucky and win our first legitimate gold medal in Beijing.

It's a long shot, but then we can start working on our bid for gold in the 2012 and the 2016 Games and the future Oympics now. We just need to be serious with what we're doing.

Maybe the sports organizations can start with getting rid of people who can't contribute to development in their midst. There are so many of them in both private and government bodies.

If you happen to be one, then better step down or concentrate your efforts elsewhere. This could be your major contribution to the future of sports in our country and to your children.