Gateway to progress

Sportsman Mikee Romero’s push to establish a Department of Sports couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time and his call before the Philippine Sportswriters Association during the Annual Awards Night last Saturday was delivered to the perfect audience. The country’s outstanding athletes, sports officials and media were gathered at the Manila Hotel to listen to Romero’s speech which sent a strong message of urgency to everyone involved in the development and promotion of sports.

Romero, 41, spoke with total credibility. He isn’t just a sports patron, he’s an active participant. Romero played varsity basketball at La Salle, has competed in world shooting competitions and currently campaigns in the international polo circuit. He’s a third dan black belter – he does water sports and has dabbled in track, arnis, flag football and volleyball, too. But what makes Romero a model example of a sports leader is his selflessness. He doesn’t care to hold lifetime positions and prefers to be a trail blazer than a stagnant monument. He isn’t anchored on the past, he likes to move forward.

Romero was president of two NSAs, the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines and the Philippine National Shooting Association. He was team manager of the Philippine basketball team that struck gold at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games and Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championships. He was the moving spirit of the Harbour Centre squad that won seven PBL titles, the Philippine Patriots that captured the inaugural ABL crown and the La Salle Lady Spikers who worked wonders in gutting out a UAAP three-peat this season. Not once did Romero ever rest on his laurels. He’s the type to give others a chance to do better than what he did. That’s why he has never clung to his positions as NSA president or team manager unlike many others who’ve held on for dear life. Instead, Romero looks for new challenges like trying to make a contender out of his PBA franchise Global Port and competing with the world’s best on the polo field.

So when Romero called for the formation of a Department of Sports, everyone listened. He has absolutely no vested interests. There’s no reason for anyone to doubt his sincerity because his love for sports is an expression of his patriotism.

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To my mind, there are five compelling arguments for the establishment of a Department of Sports. First, it’s time to formalize. Philippine sports cannot be dependent on which individuals happen to be at the helm. People come and go, some are more qualified than others. That’s why a formal structure is necessary to do away with aberrant personalities. 

Second, it’s time to coordinate the sports functions of different government agencies under a common direction. The Department of Education organizes the Palarong Pambansa on a yearly basis and accredits national athletes to participate in the Asean School Games. The Games and Amusements Board supervises professional sports, licenses professional athletes and has the mandate to sanction wrong doers. The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) dispenses public funds in supporting various sports programs in coordination with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and is involved in grassroots development. Local Government Units and the Armed Forces are others with sports programs that should be coordinated under a Department of Sports.

Third, it’s time to enforce the law by collecting five percent of PAGCOR’s gross income for Philippine sports. Without a Department of Sports, the PSC has little clout to persuade PAGCOR to remit what it should under R.A. 6847. As it is, PAGCOR donates only half of what is mandated by law. If PAGCOR earns P40 Billion in gross income a year, Philippine sports should enjoy a windfall of P2 Billion annually. Today, the PSC gets only about P600 to P800 Million a year.

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Fourth, it’s time for the government to prioritize sports in the national agenda. Setting up a Department of Sports will put the Secretary at the cabinet level which means gaining a voice and vote in discussing national issues of importance. Sports is undeniably a source of national pride and has a tourism component. Surely, it deserves attention as an integral sector in nation-building. 

And fifth, it’s time to institutionalize a healthy relationship with the POC. At the moment, Philippine sports is fortunate that POC president Jose Cojuangco, Jr. and PSC chairman Richie Garcia are good friends who are on the same page in terms of a sports vision. But it’s possible that in the future, the heads of the POC and PSC may be at loggerheads. With a Department of Sports, the terms of relationship with the POC must be clearly defined to respect the POC’s autonomy and spell out the parameters of coordination in the POC’s task of developing elite athletes. With the outlook grim for a stellar showing in the coming Southeast Asian Games because of political maneuverings by host country Myanmar, Romero’s call is even more timely. Creating the Department of Sports, however, isn’t a cure-all for what ails Philippine sports – it’s not the solution but the gateway to a future of hope and progress.  The vision that will propel a vibrant Department of Sports is the key to laying the groundwork for a plan of action to promote and develop Philippine sports as a national priority.