Cojuangco: We'll do better in 2011 SEAG

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco has promised a better and stronger finish for the country in the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.

“We will do a hundred times better than the last SEA Games,” said Cojuangco yesterday at the close of the day-long 2010 Sports Congress at the Century Park Hotel.

The hotel’s main ballroom was packed with heads of the various national sports associations, representatives from the government and private sector and top sports leaders.

Cojuangco then faced the media along with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia and International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Frank Elizalde.

“Since you always ask about it, in the 2011 SEA Games, manood kayo (you watch),” said Cojuangco.

The Philippines wound up the overall champion with 113 gold, 84 silver and 94 bronze medals when it hosted the SEA Games in 2005, but had gone down in its last two stagings.

It wound up sixth in Thailand in 2007 with a medal haul of 41-91-96 and went a notch higher in Laos in 2009 with 38 gold, 35 silver and 51 bronze medals.

The Philippines is coming off a decent finish in the Guangzhou Asian Games where it bagged three golds courtesy of bowling, billiards and boxing, on top of four silvers and nine bronze medals.

Cojuangco said next year should be the start of better things for Philippine sports. It will actually be the first full year under President Aquino, and amid the harmonious relationship between the POC and the PSC.

Elizalde was happy with how the summit went and left the ballroom with his fingers crossed.

“Let’s hope that we just don’t do a lot of talking,” said Elizalde, who’s in his last two years as IOC representative to the country. His term ends on Dec. 31, 2012.

“Let’s not talk about the past. I think this is a good start,” added the respected sports figure, who’s also counting on the Olympic Solidarity program of the IOC to help the Filipino athlete.

The POC has chosen 12 athletes to be placed under the special IOC program, those who will receive $500 a month in allowances and a budget of $5,000 for an Olympic qualifying tournament they will compete in.

The athletes are Jessie King Lacuna and Jasmine Alkhaldi of swimming, Marlon Avenido and Japoy Lizardo of taekwondo, Marestela Torres and Henry Dagmil of athletics, Hayen Topacio and Paul Bryan Rosario of shooting; Roque Abala of rowing, Emerson Segui of fencing, Margarito Angana of wrestling and Mark Javier of archery.

“It’s the knowledge of taking advantage of this opportunity. In the past, maybe because of ignorance or maybe there was not much money available, we were not able to take advantage of it,” said Elizalde.

“This time, we should take advantage of it,” he added.