Tribute to Joey

Joey Romasanta received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) recently and said the recognition was a priceless honor, particularly as it came from media practitioners with whom he enjoyed a special relationship throughout his career in sports. Romasanta, 76, began his official involvement in sports as Gintong Alay executive director in 1986 and later became POC first vice president, acting POC president and NSA president of softball, volleyball and karate. In 2016, he was chef de mission of the Philippine delegation to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Romasanta, however, said his participation in sports as a convenor started nearly 20 years before joining Gintong Alay. “I was 24 and Don Pedro (Cojuangco) made me personnel manager of Hacienda Luisita,” he related. “We had an insurgency problem and my jurisdiction covered 11 barangays, some of them outlying. I noticed maraming mahihilig sa basketball so I organized a junior team so I could coach and a senior team so I could play. We did games in every barangay. That was when I realized sports has no boundaries. As personnel manager, I had to discipline people but I was never brought before any kangaroo court in the bukid by insurgents. I walked around without a bodyguard. Every year, the San Beda junior team would come to play at Luisita and the Clark Field Diplomats also came with Ken Bradley who used to play for Yanmar Diesel.”

When the EDSA Revolution brought about a change in government leadership in 1986, Romasanta said he was invited by Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo to take over Gintong Alay. President Cory Aquino formalized the appointment but Romasanta said he understood it was on an interim basis as apparently, somebody from Bacolod was in line for the job. After three months, nobody claimed the position and Romasanta stayed on as executive director. “I’ve always believed in the Gintong Alay concept which was sound, very focused,” he said. “In 1987, we brought home 59 gold medals in the SEA Games from Indonesia, a big achievement considering we did it in a foreign country. In 1988, Arianne Cerdena took the gold in bowling as a demo sport at the Seoul Olympics and (Leopoldo) Serrantes got the bronze in boxing but he should’ve gone to the finals only he lost to a Bulgarian (Ivailo Khristov) in the semis and AIBA’s chairman of referees and judges was from Bulgaria (Emil Jechev). Then, Lito Puyat and Moying Martelino drafted the Constitution of the proposed PSC which was supported by Senator Nene Pimentel and Congressman Concoy Chavez. I was called to a bicameral session for my views on PSC. I mentioned that if PSC was a better model than Gintong Alay, I was all for it. I later met with Gintong Alay founder Michael Keon for four hours at Valle Verde about PSC. I could’ve been the first PSC chairman if I wanted it.”

Romasanta cited three Cojuangcos in his acceptance remarks during the PSA Awards Night – President Cory, Don Pedro and Ambassador Danding. While he’s now totally retired from sports, Romasanta said his door will always be open to anyone who asks for his advice or insights, particularly from media.

Regarding the coming Tokyo Olympics, Romasanta asked why not postpone the Games until better times. “If it pushes through, it won’t be the Olympics we know,” he said. “The whole world is still in trouble. Will there be 500 nurses at the Athletes Village? Will the polyclinic be converted into a COVID center? Some athletes are pulling out. Can we protect everyone in Tokyo? I realize this will be our best chance to win an Olympic gold but it could come without the expected competition. Tokyo is in a state of emergency. Isn’t it too risky to hold the Olympics in this pandemic?”