Who’s in charge here?

The simmering rift between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Education is simply symbolic of the Philippine government’s lack of a clear direction when it comes to sports.

Education Secretary Roco moved the staging of the Palarong Pambansa from June to January of next year, raising a furor, particularly from PSC chairman Eric Buhain and public officials of Naga City, which was bent on hosting the prestigious event. This apparently prompted Buhain to hint that he would see if President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could persuade Roco to change his mind. Buhain is apparently a better politician than some people thought. Or perhaps he has just translated his superhuman drive as a swimmer into his boardroom maneuvering.

All this really indicates is that nobody is in charge in creating a comprehensive thrust for sports. Once again, if the Philippines had a Department of Sports instead of having sports a lonely orphan in the political landscape, then we would be much better off.

Our lack of long-term direction as a citizenry is reflected starkly in our disdain for long-term planning. Perhaps it is because of our political culture, wherein every succeeding administration scraps almost every program implemented by its predecessor. Why bother trying to do something for the long term? Why not just try to fatten your purse, since you never know when the next EDSA revolution may catapult somebody else into power.

Unfortunately, our lack of vision in sports also reflects our lack of faith in our greatness as a nation. We see inspiring stories from sports all the time, and it is always a sponsored staple of our newscasts, but even our largest television and radio networks do not have a regular correspondent who covers sports.

If the national government does not have the political will to create a department of sports, then perhaps the local governments should take the initiative. A growing number of cities have their own sports commissions, and this summer, many of them held their own local version of the Olympics. In addition, private entities and corporations never fail in supporting sports initiatives. Sports event management has just blossomed in the last five years. It may actually be just a matter of bringing selected groups together.

Also, more and more scientific studies reveal how critical it is for children to take up certain sports at certain ages, and how their lifelong health and self-esteem is boosted by simple participation in sports activities. Some European philosophies even believe that engaging in physical activities helps further incarnate the child’s soul into its body, paving the way for better personality development.

What will it take to create a permanent sports program? There must be a single government agency tasked to handle all the overlapping functions in sports. Granted, the Philippine Olympic Committee and PSC each performed an important function. However, one is private and the other is government. That’s like trying to stir together oil and water, and as proven by the results of every Olympic Games, it does not work.

Secondly, the one in charge must have tenure to ensure that the programs implemented will take hold. The gains of the Mike Keon-Gintong Alay age were felt for the next two generations of athletes, until their legs literally fell out from under them. Third, the government must allocate funding. It seems that each time there is a major sporting event, the PSC and POC are begging from PAGCOR, PCSO or the President. Aside from being undignified, it gets quite tiresome. They should be given the power to stand on their own.

Most importantly, the government must take a stand. Does it want a healthier, more positive, more productive nation? Or is it content with the poverty and ill health and wasted productivity that our country has?

Or are they just unwilling to admit that they don’t understand sports at all?

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I would like to thank the courteous staff of Splash Island for accommodating The Basketball Show this week. Splash Island is open until 5 p.m. every day until June 30. The Basketball Show will feature the PBA Finals showdown today at 12 noon over RPN 9.