Christmas wishes II

Since we’ve already started making Christmas lists, we might as well dream big and ask for the moon. Here are more wishes from our list.

A bigger collegiate basketball championship. The Philippine Collegiate Champions League is a great means of unifying college basketball and bringing provincial teams into the spotlight. It is also a great vision for the future. But those of us who’ve been involved all long for the day when more teams from north of Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao get to compete on the big stage. Someday soon, we hope to see true parity, a championship between a northern team and a southern team. And with the exposure the PCCL is giving teams outside of the metropolis, that could happen sooner than later.

A Little League championship. Every year, it’s the same story. Our Little League teams go begging for money, and have to scramble just to make enough to go to the World Little League Championships in Kalamazoo. For the girls in particular, it’s been difficult, as most of them are the daughters of fishermen, jeepney drivers and security guards from Negros, and their sport is their only way to get a good education. But despite their financial difficulties, they’ve been runners-up the last two times. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.

A dancesport revolution. Dancesport is one event wherein the Philippines can rule for a very long time. So far, the sport’s success has been brought about by devoted individuals and groups, such as the Dancesport Council of the Philippines (DSCP), Ed and Eleanor Hayco and Team Cebu City Dancesport and the Professional Dancesport Association of the Philippines (Pilipinas Dancesport). But so far, Filipinos have yet to break through and dominate world championships like the one in Blackpool, England. The travel and training costs alone are prohibitive, not to mention the expensive outfits that female dancers only get to wear once per competition. Still, should one pair break the ice, it would create a flood of success for the country.

More city sports commissions. The Philippine Sports Commission’s hands are tied with regards to funding. But the local governments and congressmen have their own funds which may be realigned for sports on a more consistent basis, if there is a plan. Cebu City was one of the first cities in the Philippines to establish its own sports commission and support selected sports. They even have free training for tens of thousands of children every summer. Their constitution has even been borrowed by other local governments who seek to follow their success in sports. If more cities had the political will to make sports a staple in their communities, we would all be the better for it, and it would ease the burden on sports agencies like the PSC.

More world boxing champions. ALA Promotions has done a tremendous job in keeping professional boxing at the forefront of the public, and they have created more than a handful of world champions and contenders. With their plans to expand and build a gym in Metro Manila, the good news is that more boxers will get the professional, world-class training they need to ascend the ranks of international boxing organization. Now if only there were other groups that could match their passion and devotion to integrity, we could easily have half a dozen or more world boxing champions.

More NBA visitors. In terms of NBA attention, China may have the buying power, but the Philippines has the eyeballs on the NBA online. Since we’re at it, why not an NBA Philippines game? It took two years to set up the first NBA China Games in Shanghai and Beijing in 2004, and if we share the costs with Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan, it would be feasible. We’ve hosted entire NBA teams before. Imagine if the NBA champion team came over for a pre-season game. The league would then be able to add Manila as a destination aside from all the Chinese cities mentioned.

Talent identification. The one thing lacking in most of our sports is attention to the future. We need a true talent identification program, and we need it now. With the help of local governments, the AFP, PNP and DILG, we can find, recruit and train our own champions. Why wait until our champions are past their prime before working on next? If we simply scoured the countryside, we could fill our national training pools with candidates for future Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games. It just has to start somewhere.

Solid sports laws. What about tax benefits for multinationals that support Philippine teams? It’s done in other countries. If the country’s top 100 corporations each picked a sport to help, we would not need to badger Congress, Pagcor, PCSO or the President. Red tape would be a thing of the past. Public funds could go to infrastructure, and benefit tens of thousands of others. In fact, local governments could actually make it a requirement for corporations who want to do business in their areas. What about laws mandating fitness levels for government jobs? It’s already being done in the police and military branches. We all know the benefits to being more active.

A true national sports complex. Wherever it may be, whether it’s at a future new venue in Clark in Pampanga or Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, or an upgrade of existing sports complexes like San Jose, Tarlac or Lingayen, Pangasinan, I’d like to see a new national training center. We’ve all known for a very long time that Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is ancient and outdated. Sports is constantly evolving, as are training methods, nutrition and therapy.

An Olympic gold medal. As of now, we have one boxer qualified for London, and will surely have at least one more.