Time to fix whatever is wrong in Phl sports!

The London Olympics is finally over and done, with Jamaica’s fastest man alive, runner Usain Bolt, breaking his own records and US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps making a historic most number of gold medals ever won by a single athlete. The finale was a star studded affair. Even if it could not match the pomp and pageantry of China’s opening and closing ceremonies, the London Olympics had class.

As for us in the Philippines? Perhaps we are trying to make an Olympic record of zero gold medals in all the sporting events that we participated in. We thought that we would have shone even on boxing, but even that, we failed miserably to do. Once again, it brings us to the question… “Why can’t Filipinos win in the Olympics?” Never mind the Olympics, we can’t even win in the Asian Games.

Of course, you and I already knew the answer to this question. It is because sports, like everything else in this country, have become too politicized. Furthermore, there are sporting events that Filipinos just can’t win because we are a nation of short people. So basketball is out of the question. Yet no one has seriously looked into this problem and brainstormed where we can develop our strengths and drop those events where we are weak?

Back in the mid-70s, when I was deeply involved in archery and when we formed our club called the Cebu Archery Club (CAC), in just one year we became 3rd placer in the national archery competitions, which was 6 points short of 2nd place and 9 points in 1st place against Manila-based archery clubs that have been there for decades. How were we able to accomplish this? We shot at least a thousand arrows everyday at the old Baseline Restaurant Archery Range.

A friend of mine told me that the South Korean Olympic archers also shoot a thousand arrows every single day. So this is where practice truly makes perfect. Back then we were a triumvirate with our good friends, Romy Ramirez and Ernie Sayo and I’m still proud to show our black and white photos of those days when we were champions. Alas today, the CAC is a shell of its old self and that’s because no one took over from the old members. 

We’ve produced world champions in bowling or boxing, perhaps this is where we should focus our attention. You don’t need any height for archery or rifle shooting. We know that Filipinos are “world class” in combat shooting, which as we already know is the sport of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III. But then, for as long as there is a “government bureaucracy” in sports, we stand no chance in winning any of these sporting events.

Worse of all, whenever there are international sporting competitions, the Philippines sends a big delegation composed mostly of “usoseros” who watch the games but don’t compete. At this point, I dare say that, like what is happening in this country, it is time to fix whatever is wrong with Philippine sports. If we can’t do this, I doubt we can fix whatever else is wrong in this country.

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Last week, the people of Metro Manila and most of Luzon were still wallowing in flood waters asking themselves the question… why there was so much rain when there was no typhoon, not even a low pressure area? As it turned out, because of the hatred of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III against his predecessor former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA), he apparently caused the cancellation of the numerous flood control projects that were already in the pipeline and ready for implementation.

This is where the now famous “noynoying” has caused untold misery to the millions of Filipinos in Metro Manila and in Luzon. Then suddenly the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) made that revelation that it has some P352 billion in flood control projects ready for implementation. This is clear proof that politics in this country has become too destructive. Indeed, when politicians fight against each other, it is the Filipino people who suffer in the end. Alas, the poor Filipino wallowing in flood waters cannot even think this way because his mind is too preoccupied on survival.

But who comes to the aid of the beleaguered Filipino? You guessed it right… the politicians! Yes, people seeking the votes of the poor Filipino go on board Army trucks to distribute relief goods in person. They press the flesh, so to speak, in the hope that they won’t be forgotten. But where did the relief goods come from? Mostly from our tax money and private donors. I seriously doubt if our politicians even use a portion of their “pork barrels” to help the flood victims. Incidentally, I just got a very thorough and in-depth report from Malou Mangahas about the Pork Barrel in this country. A very interesting report that proves that Pork Barrel is nothing but corruption!

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