Still more X’mas wishes

Here’s the last chapter of our long list of Christmas wishes.

The First Gentleman – a strong commitment to support Philippine sports. Now that he’s back on his feet, Attorney Mike should be able to work wonders – once again – in putting up a sturdy war chest for Filipino athletes bound for the Beijing Olympics. He was chiefly responsible for raising the funds that bankrolled the Philippines’ unprecedented championship crusade in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games two years ago. No less than former POC president Celso Dayrit said without the First Gentleman’s support, the Philippines couldn’t have won the overall title in the SEA Games. With President Arroyo’s marching orders to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal in Beijing, no stone should be left unturned in making the dream come true.

The Elorde family – a world title. Brothers Bebot, Johnny and Marty Elorde own separate stables but their common goal is to uphold the family tradition of boxing glory. Their father Gabriel, known as Flash, reigned as world junior lightweight champion from 1960 to 1967. Their mother Laura, who turned 80 on Manny Pacquiao’s birthday last Dec. 17, is the moving spirit behind the quest. While the family has prospered by establishing a wide-scale network of boxing gyms in the wake of a national reawakening to physical fitness, the Elordes are yearning for another world champion. Among their prospects are OPBF lightflyweight champion Juanito Rubillar, PABA lightweight titlist Dennis Laurente and unbeaten WBO Asia Pacific flyweight ruler Drian Francisco.

Robert Jaworski – a comeback in Philippine sports. There’s no question the Big J still has what it takes to work a crowd. He’s not the Living Legend for nothing. Surprisingly, Jaworski wasn’t nominated for the position of PBA commissioner despite rumors he was up for contention. If a job in the Philippine Sports Commission isn’t available, perhaps Jaworski might consider returning to the PBA – not as a player (he has never officially retired) but as a general manager and coach. Air21 coach Bo Perasol has, time and again, said he will step down to make way for Jaworski and recently disappeared from the bench to shake up the Express from a four-game losing skid. Air21 team manager Lito Alvarez said the coaching job is waiting for Jaworski. The timing couldn’t be more appropriate for a comeback.

Go Teng Kok – less talk, more action. The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president is in charge of one of only two mandatory sports in the Olympic calendar. That’s a major responsibility. In recent years, he’s been wrangling with POC and PSC officials over issues ranging from funding to NSA leadership disputes to personal differences. In the coming POC elections, GTK is tipped to play a major role as a kingmaker. Depending how many are running for the presidency, GTK’s influence could provide the swing vote to make or break a candidate. In the recent SEA Games, athletics delivered five gold medals, second only to swimming’s eight. While it was a major accomplishment, critics pounced on GTK for predicting a haul of at least 10. The much-misunderstood PATAFA head should learn when to keep quiet.

Gerry Peñalosa – a big paycheck before retiring. At 35, Peñalosa is just a year or two away from hanging up his gloves. Last August, he stunned the experts by wresting the WBO bantamweight crown from highly-favored Jhonny Gonzalez via a one-punch knockout. Peñalosa is gunning for a fat paycheck in a rematch against WBO superbantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon but that will have to wait. The WBO has ordered Peñalosa to stake his crown against Thailand’s Ratanachai Sor Vorapin whom he stopped in six rounds seven years ago. Surely, Peñalosa deserves to go out with a bang. 

Mari Martinez – a bright future for Philippine football. The newly-elected Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president has his work cut out for him. Although football marked its centennial in the country this year, there is little to crow about in terms of accomplishments in the modern era. The national men’s team couldn’t even qualify to play in the last SEA Games. With FIFA president and recent Manila visitor Joseph Blatter’s support, the PFF has nowhere to go but up. FIFA is supporting the PFF to the tune of $250,000 a year and recently gave an additional $400,000 to get Philippine football back on its feet. Martinez knows where he wants to go. The crucial factor is to gain the cooperation of the country’s 32 provincial associations because Martinez can’t get the job done alone.