Predicting Team Phl's 6th place SEAG finish

On Saturday, Nov. 19, I was interviewed by ABC 5’s Maanne Panganiban about the performance of the Philippines in the then ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia. I told her that as early as Jan. 26, 2011, in this column (“Hard Facts in SEAG Medal Count”) I had warned that the Philippines was headed for its worst-ever finish in its more than 30 years of participation in the regional biennial Games.

 Ten months ago I saw the need to “objectively and clinically take stock of where we are (now) and where we could possibly end up using available hard data.” With the help of other knowledgeable sports leaders, I looked at the results of the Guangzhou (China) Asian Games held in Nov. 2010 where 11 Southeast Asian nations competed against 34 other countries that included Asian giants like China, Japan and the two Koreas.

In that column, I said “painful as it may be, the Philippines, with a population of 100 million may end up contesting fifth place against tiny city-state Singapore (population three million) for fifth place in the (gold medal standings).” I pointed out that, for example, swimming has been a rich hunting ground for the Singaporeans in all past SEA Games. In China, Singapore netted one gold and one silver in swimming despite the Chinese, Japanese and Korean Juggernaut.”

Based on the official Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Media Final Wrap Up dated Nov. 20, 2011, Singapore had all but captured fifth place over-all with 41 gold medals to the Philippines’ 25.

I also said in January that Indonesia, which is hosting the Games for the fourth time since 1977, is expected to capture the over-all championship. As of Nov. 20, per the Wrap Up, the Indons had pocketed 149 golds and 388 overall medals (silver and bronze included) and is beyond reach. I also predicted that “Thailand, armed with a booming economy despite the political instability it suffered last year, is expected to battle Vietnam for second spot.”

Per the POC Wrap Up over-all medal tally, the Thais have won 94 gold medals as against the Vietnamese’s 83. Vietnam had been leading the Thais for second spot until a late surge by the Thais in the last few days of competitions. The runner-up finish of the Thais is certainly a morale booster given the floods that have ravaged Thailand’s economy and physical infrastructure. In that column, I also said that “Malaysia could land fourth over- all.” As of Nov. 20, the Malaysians have won 52 gold medals.

Singapore is, in the words of the POC Wrap Up, “holding on to fifth, with 41 gold medals,like a leech” but in no position to threaten Malaysia for fourth place. The city-state has also won 43 silvers and 70 bronzes.

I pointed out the country will most likely net 45 gold medals, probably enough for fifth overall. But as things stand now as of Monday noon, the time this column was written, the Philippine, will end up sixth even if it is extremely lucky and wins another 20 gold medals (which is rather unlikely) in the remaining days of competition. As of this moment, the Philippines’ performance in the final events today (Monday) in paragliding, traditional boat race, cycling, sanda finals of wushu, equestrian and chess will not allow it to overtake Singapore.

I mentioned that in the 1995 Chiang Mai (Thailand) Games, about 40 golds was good for third overall. Two years later, in1997, in Jakarta, our 40 golds was good only for fourth as we were edged out by Malaysia for the third spot in the last few days of the Games.

I emphasized the country’s sports stakeholders have to agree on their vision for Philippine sports by engaging in rigorous and serious strategic planning for us to formulate a road map for Philippine sports for the next four years or up to 2016, the end of the Benigno Aquino III presidency.

I stressed that an eight-volume Master Plan for Philippine Sports was prepared during my stint as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission and what needed to be done was to update it. The strategy articulated in the plan was to promote and capitalize on the logical and natural synergy between grassroots, mass-based sports and elite or high level sports This synergy will enable the country to give emphasis to making sports more egalitarian by allowing more people to have access to the sport of their choice. Our huge population, second in Southeast Asia, gives us a wider base from which to choose our talents for elite sports.

We really have to be more proactive and come up with realistic long-term plans and medium and short-term operational plans that will minimize haphazard, last-minute initiatives. The plan must attract the attention and interest of the private sector, the international multilateral funding agencies (especially with respect to revamping our Physical Education curriculum, which is the basis for sports, wellness and recreation activities of in-school youth), the DILG, the DepEd and the NEDA. We must get the President and the Cabinet to approve that road map to have everyone behind it. Or else, we’ll be no different from someone who’s on a treadmill – he or she is just running to stay in place. If he stops, he falls off the treadmill and that’s the end of him.