SEA Games, athletes welfare top PSC list

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Eric Buhain laid down yesterday the priorities of the government sports agency considering the big budget slash the PSC is set to encounter this year.

The PSC top honcho redefined the focus and direction of the agency during the board meeting held yesterday and announced to the Board of Commissioners his move to put on hold other projects.

First in the list of priorities of the PSC is the welfare of national athletes and the countr’‚s preparation and participation in the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam this December.

"The instruction of the President (Arroyo) is very clear. To win more gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, Buhain said. "And because of the belt-tightening measures that the PSC has to adopt due to the budget cut, prioritization on funding and implementation of programs is imperative."

Next in the list of the PSC’s main concerns is the revalidation of the direction of local sports development leading to the finalization of a Strategic Plan for Philippine sports.

Through this strategy, Buhain hopes to place Philippine sports in the mainstream of economic development planning and institutionalize the implementation of sound programs and interventions.

"Despite the recent budget cut, the PSC aims to improve on its previous gains and set the focus and direction of the PSC," Buhain added.

In the Strategic Plan, 2003 is expected to be a busy year for the PSC as preparations are in full gear for the staging of priority programs aimed at promoting the development of grassroots sports with the Palarong Pambansa first to unfurl this May.

The PSC, likewise, plans to stage the first Luzon Games and first Visayas Games both in September, while the third Mindanao Games is set to be held in October. The fifth Philippine National Youth Games ˆ Batang Pinoy will be held on January 2004.

The first Philippine National Championships —the culminating event of the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao Games ˆ is set in November. The event is expected to showcase the country’s best athletes and brightest prospects and serve as a testing ground for national athletes competing in the Vietnam SEA Games.

In the area of high-level sports, the big chunk of the Agency’s efforts will be directed towards the welfare of national athletes, as well as the preparation and participation of Filipino athletes in the Vietnam SEA Games.

"The PSC will remain steadfast in prioritizing the welfare of athletes and will exert all means available to keep our athletes fully geared up against foreign rivals in the SEAG,"Buhain said.

Notable among the strategies the PSC has implemented and plans to continue is to be outward looking in supplementing its meager budget by actively sourcing the assistance and cooperation of the corporate sector.

Despite the difficulties expected to be encountered, the PSC, Buhain said, will further strengthen its role as vanguard of sustainable development of local sports.