Telenovela

     The amount of intrigue between the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) team and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) rivals that of our most watched telenovelas, but unlike them, this sporting controversy is not so clear-cut.

Who

Dragon Warriors: Victims?

     In most telenovelas, the audience knows who the protagonists and antagonists are, but in this case, it is muddled.  Are the PDBF rowers (Dragon Warriors) the victims and the POC, led by Chairman Peping Cojuangco the evil overlords?  Many are quick to point out yes, but the POC's recent media blitz is turning the tide.

     Here's the thing. First things first. What the POC did last year to the Dragon Boat Federation was pure crap.  If you need a blow by blow, I wrote about it here.  That clearly establishes the Dragon Warriors were victimized at least once and that also proves the POC has clearly been in the wrong.

     The more recent fight, though, is a lot less clear.  Dragon Warriors are certainly victims in the sense that they had no financial support from the POC and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), but the government, especially the PSC, is innocent here.  Under law, the PSC provides money only to the national teams, whose accreditation comes from the POC. (Why the spending of government money is dictated by a small private company is beyond me, but it's the law) This means that since the PBDF is not considered by the POC as a national team, they were not entitled to funding.  Now, PSC chairman Richie Garcia is as slimy as brown-nosers get, but this time he is not wrong.  The POC, meanwhile, is a different story.  The story gets sticky because of a memo from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

What

     According to the POC, the IOC required (synonyms include mandated, forced) all countries to place Dragon Boat Federations under the Canoe and Kayak Associations. POC claims they had no choice but to move the PDBF or the country might face sanction and suspension.  On the other hand, the PDBF claims the IOC memo actually stated that countries may choose (country's prerogative, not required) to place Dragon Boat under Canoe and Kayak.  PDBF refused to be moved to the Philippine Canoeing and Kayaking Federation (PCKF); hence they were not recognized by the POC.

Why

     It begs the question then why both sides are insisting on fighting over this memo when the simpler thing is to compromise? 

     For the PBDF, it boiled down to two things.  One, moving under the PCKF meant that the current PDBF coaches will be not retained, for whatever reasons not made public.  Second, all International Dragon Boat races require that the teams be recognized by an accredited Dragon Boat Federation.  In the Philippines, that would only be the PDBF and not the PCKF.  Now, my only question is, wouldn't moving the PDBF into the PCKF mean that the PCKF can also be accredited by the International Dragon Boat Federation?

     For the POC, the reasons are quite murky, until you add creative thinking and deductive reasoning.  I have not hidden my disdain for the POC led by Cojuangco so a grain of salt must be taken with this following explanation.  First, the PBDF moving to PCKF means one less National Sports Association and one less vote in the POC elections.  The PCKF has always voted for the side of Cojuangco while the PDBF has not.  Think what you will.  Second, in their darkest hour, the Dragon Warriors found their savior in Cobra and PAL and were welcomed home in the Century Park Sheraton, all companies owned by magnate Lucio Tan.  Word from the grapevine is that someone helped the Dragon Warriors out with some introductions.  That someone is former PSC Chairman Harry Angping, whose term in PSC was highlighted by his strong stands against what he believed were wrong POC moves.  Again, think what you will.  

How

Cojuangco: Holding Aces

     President Aquino has stated that he would look into the matter, but it might not be a good idea.  Cojuangco holds two aces.  One and he has done this before, Peping can claim that anything Aquino does is political, snitch to the IOC and the IOC will suspend us if governments intervene in IOC affairs.  Second, removing Peping from sports gives him more free time to meddle in political matters.  During last year's campaign, Cojuangco volunteered to campaign for Aquino, but Aquino cringed at the idea.  He knows his uncle and the trail of bad publicity that follows him so he asked Cojuangco to back off.  That didn't stop Cojuangco from campaigning, which resulted in the whole "Noy-Mar" "Noy-Binay" controversy in Peping's native Tarlac.  It's not beyond belief that the best move for the PNoy is to get Peping out of his thinning hair by keeping him occupied in sports.  It won't be too surprising if the POC continues to have its way.  As much as I love sports, the country is a lot less worse if Peping meddled in sports and not congress, housing, land reform, poverty, agriculture or energy.

When

     As much as they are different, though, this Dragon Boat controversy and good telenovelas have something in common.  Both will last for quite some time since a resolution is either nowhere to be found or the resolution itself could open an even bigger can of worms for our struggling country.  We need to find a way to protect our athletes' and nations' interests, grab a hold of the problem and punch it smack on the chin.

Dragon Heart

     Many scoff at the 1996 movie Dragonheart, as a kid's movie, filled with action/adventure fluff and an entirely predictable happy ending.  While I won't dispute the fluff part, the movie's ending, where the evil and oppressive King Einan, is finally killed and defeated, is a sad one.  The hero, Bowen had to kill his best friend, Draco, the last remaining dragon on Earth, so that Einan will lose invincibility and die. Everyone was happy with the new peaceful kingdom, and some even happy that Draco would now be in heaven, but I couldn't believe no one felt sad or even noticed that all dragons became extinct.

     Everyone interested has probably heard or read about the story by now.  In 2010, in the run up to the South East Asian (SEA) Games, the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) Team was vying for slots to the Philippine delegation.  Coming in as two-time world champions, the team expected to receive a free pass, but the Philippine Olympic Committee, headed by Jose Peping Cojuangco, told them they had to earn them.  Asked to match the bronze medal times of the previous Asian Championships in order to qualify, the team performed in POC-arranged and sactioned time trials in La Mesa Dam (a POC-approved and utilized venue for Dragon Boat competitions).  In the time trials, the women's team performed times good enough for 2 gold medals and 1 silver, while the men's team performed times that could net a gold, silver and bronze.  In a completely head-scratching decision,  the POC representative, Col. Jeff Tamayo (ret.) claimed that the paddlers were, "super men and super women" or on "super steroids."  Not minding that the POC themselves arranged the time trials, Tamayo also  claimed that the PDBF  intentionally submitted slow reference times so they could overcome them. Of course, Tamayo could have just logged on to the internet to check the times himself, but that would make too much sense.  Tamayo recommended leaving the Dragon Boaters off the list of athletes for the SEA Games and the POC accepted it wholeheartedly.     

     After a media blitz (only in papers and blogs -- i posted one here and here), the POC was not through with the PDBF.  Pouncing on an International Olympic Committee (IOC) memo suggesting that Dragon Boat could be placed under Canoe and Kayak to keep things simple, claimed it was a directive from the IOC and it must be followed. Here's where it got real sticky.  The move to the Philippine Canoeing and Kayaking Federation (PCKF) would mean that the team will lose their existing coaches (who spoke against the POC - what a coincidence!!!) and they would lose their chance to compete in the World Championships since the PCKF is not recognized as a proper Dragon Boat Federation.  The team was stripped of its national team status as they refused to come under the PCKF; hence the loss of their athletes' salary and incentives.  


     As the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation Team comes home this week, the public has been properly informed of their amazing 5 gold, 2 silver romp in the recently concluded 10th IDBF Dragon Boat World Championships in Florida.  If everything goes as planned, they will receive a heroes' welcome from a grateful nation, their victory despite lack of funding and support from the Philippine Olympic Committee, serves as the nation's version of killing Einan.  The thing is, as the people celebrated Einan's defeat (rightfully so), no one bothered to remember that they had lost all the dragons.  We cannot afford to be like that.  


     As our dragons come home, we must welcome them with the love, support and adulation that they deserve, but we must also take care to be vigilant, to make sure that this amazing 5 gold and 2 silver romp will not be the last. We need our dragons alive and paddling.  We need to fight to correct the system that relegated them to near extinction and topple the oppresive evil that created it.




photos courtesy of Den Victoria

11 for '11 (Part 1)

   The start of the new year is always the best time to hope, since there is a ton of time to get things done.  The start of 2011, then, is where I will post the 11 things I hope will happen in the sports world in 2011.  Pleas enote that I used the word HOPE and not WISH, so I cannot put "Peping Cojuanco resigns from POC as one of the 11, since it's impossible"  I've also ranked the 11 based on my level of desire to see it happen and on each item's feasibility.

11.  New weight divisions prosper in the UFC

     Folding the WEC into the UFC was big news, but we have yet to see how well it really goes for the UFC.  This year, the UFC will feature Bantam and Featherweight Divisions, and finally top dogs like Jose Aldo, Urijah Faber and Anthony Pettis will get their chance to shine on the big stage.  I think it will be interesting to see the lighter weight divisions fight MMA and I hope early fights bring exciting stoppages to get the casual fans to buy into the lighter weight divisions.  

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Fifty Peso Shots: November 2010

     I'm very late with my November edition of Fifty Peso Shots, but I was kind of busy last November 30.  wink wink.  Many thanks to everyone who supported me and I look forward to giving Pinoy food and Pinoys, here and abroad, something to be proud of on my upcoming cooking show on Lifestyle Network! Meanwhile, check out the 1 hour special of the entire Clash of the Toque-en Ones on December 20 at 10 pm, Skycable channel 52.


Now, some shots from the cheap seats:

• POC and PSC leaders claim they are "happy" and/or "satisfied" with Team Philippines' performance in the last Asian Games.  We finished way behind South East Asian neighbors, but they are happy? Great! We should probably look forward to another sixth place finish in next year's SEA Games. Woohoo! (Please detect major sarcasm here) 

• Lebron James acted like a big sissy, intentionally bumping Coach Erik Spoelstra when he called a timeout during a testy loss to the Dallas Mavericks.  Then, he allegedly had friend  lapdog Maverick Carter release a story of how Spoelstra was such a tyrant, slamming Lebron on being not serious enough.  Instead of gaining sympathy for the Heat's woes, James is just giving more credibility to rumors he's a cancer to teams.  It also raises Spoelstra's stock as coach as the Heat rattled off four consecutive wins after he scolded Lebron.

• Hornets fans have it tough. After a summer of uncertainty when franchise player Chris Paul threatened to leave, they now face an ownership void.  George Shinn is ready to sell the team and the NBA will be their owner for the time being. That has to be the weirdest feeling.  Imagine competing in a contest where your mom is also the tournament director. Yikes!

• Many disappointed with the performance of Smart Gilas should be more patient before calling for the return of PBA pros.  In the past, foreign coaches would always praise the Philippines as "talented but needing more time to adjust to each other and the international game."  If one reads into the recent interviews with coaches, they no longer spew that same condescending lines.  They talk about the Philippines unmatched toughness and relentless defense.  That is improvement, if one cares to actually think about it.

• If people want to know which National Sports Association (NSA) Heads to replace, look no further than Swimming/Diving Head Mark Joseph.  The man with two first names was so on top of the situation that he didn't even know his OWN DIVERS GOT INTO A BUS ACCIDENT on the way to competing. Then, after he was informed his diver was injured (confirmed by doctors), he scoffed and broached the possibility that it could have been, "an old injury acting up."  That's the picture of a leadership award winner right there.

photos courtesy of sports.yahoo.com, getty images and gmapinoytv.com

Fifty Peso Shots: October 2010

First of all, I'd like to invite everyone to watch my cooking demos daily on the Lifestyle Network or online on this link and on this one as well. Help make me Lifestyle Network's 1st Star Chef by voting for me.  Send an email to lifestylenetwork@thelifeyoulive.tv and type VOTE SHARWIN on the subject box.  You can vote as many times as you want as voting is unlimited, even from one email account!


Now, some shots (good and bad) from the cheap seats:


The Good:

• Kudos to the new UFC Heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez.  I was among millions who doubted him, but he sure proved us wrong.  He showed tremendous quickness and cardio which allowed him to move well and escape from his back.  I think that was his key to defeating Brock Lesnar.

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Numbers Game

    While the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and sports "journalists" who couldn't be bothered to do research all hailed the appointment of Richie Garcia as the new Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman, my stomach churned nervously.  Recently, the joint POC-PSC task force announced that the Philippines could send as much as over 200 athletes to this year's Asian Games.  While people see Garcia's appointment bringing about peace between the POC and the PSC and the eventual improvement of Philippine Sports, I only see more disappointment.  While that makes me sound like an old curmudgeon with, wait for it, "crab mentality,"  I'm backing it up with numbers.

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Missed Conceptions

     All so-called experts keep saying that money, or the lack of it, is the main reason for the Philippines' lack of sporting success.  Let me say this though.  Throw in more money, and we might still not be as successful as we want.  For the money (if it ever comes) to work, we, as a country, need to get rid of these long standing misconceptions.


Misconception # 1:  We are world class. All we need is the money.

     The truth is, save for pool (billiards), wushu and maybe dragon boat racing, we are not world class; we haven't been in a while.  For a country to be considered a world power in a sport, it can't just have a singular world champion who won once in say, 10 years.  One athlete winning a world championship doesn't mean the training program is a success.  A country can be considered world class if they win and almost win on a consistent basis.  The Philippines has to face reality.  There are no Olympic sports where it has been a world power for almost 2 decades.  Boxing?  Tae Kwon Do?  Basketball? Archery? We haven't been close enough to smell the world powers.  The sooner the sports powers realize this and create a comprehensive, "back-to-the-drawing-board-type" of training program, the better.   The sporting powers must eat humble pie now and accept that we have a long way to go, so that an honest effort can be made to develop talents.

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When (Dirty) Harry Met Silly

     When Harry Angping was appointed the new Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman a few months ago, everyone could see trouble brewing for Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. miles away.  Unlike other PSC administrators, it was clear Angping, a former Manila congressman, would be completely his own man.  With his deep political and business contacts, he obviously did not lack allies and connections, but what made him even more "dangerous" to Peping was "Dirty Harry" had a concrete set of plans he intended to push.

     SInce A

ngping's entry into the PSC, Philippine Sports has become the backdrop of a most riveting soap opera.  In the months that followed, all of the PSC's moves were met with complaints of bias from the POC, while the PSC returned the favor by closing offices and refusing to release funds.  Recently, a new issue has pushed things to become even more heated.

     The issue stems from the new track suits (jacket, jogging pants, shorts, etc) that the PSC has designed and produced for the Philippine contingent for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.  As expected, the POC, through Cojuanco apologizer Steve Hontiveros, dismissed the suits as "not passing standards," going as far as saying they were a big, "waste of money."  

      The "standards" that were not met?  Well, Hontiveros cited that firstly, the jacket design was not submitted for their approval, so aside from the design flaws, certain POC sponsors were not given their due space.  As far as I know, the PSC spends for all of the track suits, so why would the PSC need POC approval?   Why would the POC, a PRIVATE company, have the po

wer to dictate

 how the PSC, a government agency, should spend the government's money?

      Then, the track suits also didn't pass the "standard" of color, since the new suits were yellow, which Hontiveros claimed is not, "our color."  Ummm... seen your own flag lately Steve?  Yellow is our color.  Red, blue and YELLOW are the colors of our flag.  Furthermore, let's keep this in perspective.  In 2002, the Adidas-sponsored track suits were black and red and I don't see black on our flag.  Our Beijing Olympians went to the Opening in Aqua Green Barongs, definitely not "our" color, so why all this flak for the PSC preparing the track suits (a lot earlier than usual I might add)?  

      It would have been a lot more believable if the "standards" the POC were crowing about actually had something to do with the track suits' performance, but seeing the 2006 and 2007 POC appro

ved track suits (the 2006 New Balance suits were too thin for the cold Qatar weather while the 2007 Everlast jackets had faulty zippers), it is clear that their "standards" are all about something else. The only "standard" this set of yellow track suits failed to pass is the "30% commission" standard the previous approved suits "passed."    

      As long as Cojuangco steadfastly hangs on to his ever-decreasing dictator-like hold on Philippine sports and Angping continues his plans of challenging and antagonizing him, the feuds will keep coming on all fronts, just like our favorite telenovelas on television.  From gold medal winning predictions to budget concerns, Harry Angping's PSC and Peping Cojuanco's POC are battling a bitter feud that even the stellar creative teams of ABS CBN and GMA 7 couldn't even dream of, and now, even something as simple as jacket design has become a battleground.  While this whole thing earns a lot of forehead slapping and heaad shaking, it seems I can't help but keep staying tuned to it.  It is clear that the last thing our country needs is a feud that will stunt the growth of our youth and national athletes, but I for one can't turn my head away from this telenovela, When (Dirty) Harry Met Silly.

How Now, Pacquiao?

     With his stunning second round demolition of Ricky Hatton last May 2, 2009, Manny Pacquiao is on top of the boxing world, with some claiming he is history's best.  Meanwhile, the very world the,  "Pacman" had enthralled is still under his spell, as everyone is awaiting word on what he is to do next.  Currently, Manny has been rightfully taking it easy and celebrating his latest conquest.  Pretty soon, though, he will have to decide what to do next.  Whether it be about his legendary boxing career or his polarizing political one, everyone seems to have an opinion on what Manny should do.  Of course, being the meddler that I am, I have some suggestions too.

Boxing Career

     Obviously, if Pacquiao stopped now, he would leave with a tremendous career and legacy that will be remembered by the world for generations to come.  I think, however, leaving this early will leave his legacy in question.  There are some unanswered questions I think he should answer before he retires and I have a plan of action that is not only feasible, but also fit perfectly into his desire to retire early and to run for congress.

     First, Manny should take on the winner of the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr., the man he replaced as boxing's pound for pound king or one of his greatest rivals, Juan Manuel Marquez.  Pretty Boy Floyd has talked some trash since announcing his return and some have already drank from the irradiated Kool Aid he has been serving.  Taking on Mayweather will finally answer the question of who is the best boxer in this open era, and Manny should not let an opportunity pass him by.  As for fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in what should be a farewell fight for both pugilists, Manny has the opportunity to finally rid himself of the pesky Mexican.  As Manny has been enjoying number one status in the "P4P" rankings, many consider Juan Manuel Marquez as "1A."  A third and final fight would be a fan's dream fight as we finally close the chapter on a wild and exciting rivalry.  This fight could indeed happen sometime in December, giving Pacquiao ample time to rest and prepare his political party for the May 2010 elections.

     Second, Manny should take a good look at Miguel Cotto.  While Cotto possesses power that could mean trouble for Pacquiao, I feel it is worth the risk because beating Cotto would give Manny a sixth world title.  This would enable him to match his idol, Oscar de la Hoya's belt career belt haul.  Now that would be a great way to end a career.  This fight could be penciled in at around September or October of 2010, giving Manny lots of time to rest and train after the elections.

Political Career

     I don't like the idea of Manny running for congress as much as anyone, but with having "Kabayan" Noli "extortion" de Castro as Vice President (and maybe even President) and Lito"the sound of silence" Lapid as Senator, how can we tell Pacquiao he isn't ready to lead us?  He should run if he truly wanted to and believe it or not, I would seriously consider voting for him if he ran in our district.  I, however, have an even better political plan for Pacquiao.

    If it were up to me, I'd have Pacquiao become president... of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).  For years, athletes have begged to have former athletes lead their respective Nation Sports Associations (NSA), so that the leadership could empathize better, and Manny leading the ABAP would be great.  He knows boxing, its training, scouting, weight cutting, etc, and he would be in a prime position to advise ABAP on how to train and care for our boxers.  I understand amateur and professional boxing are different animals, but surely his talent would not be dominant on the pro ring alone.  Meanwhile, his current fame will go a long way in uniting a usually fractured ABAP leadership.  Furthermore, his international stardom will bring a level of credibility to our NSA, which would help garner more respect from the international boxing committee.  This, in turn, would help lessen the questionable judging we are always a victim of.  

     If Pacquiao is really determined to go along way politically, he can serve the ABAP for a while, then run for the presidency... of the Philippine Olympic Committee.  If Manny serves the ABAP well as president and unites it, then he deserves to be POC president.  In this position, Manny can take care of all the athletes and his well-respected character and discipline transcends all sports, so uniting the athletes is certainly doable.  I mean, if he can unite an entire nation enough to stop crime and war, he should be able to do it in sports.  I know he has mentioned that all he wants to do by running for congress is to help the people.  What better way to help than to unite a nation through sports?

     In the end, it's really up to Manny.  He's the one with five titles in five divisions.  He's the P4P King.  I think, though, my plan would certainly appeal to him.  After all, my suggestions for his boxing career would close his career and legacy elegantly, while my suggestions for him politically would help him achieve his goals.  

     The best part?  After he executes my plan successfully, he would still be young enough to run for congress.

New Year's Resolutions For Sports

     Everyone makes new year's resolutions lists  or wish lists during the new year, and those lists are usually left undone or unrealized.  In any case, making a list for sports is not just wishful thinking, but also great fun as well.  So here are my new year's resolutions if I were these prominent sports figures.  

Roger Federer (Tennis) - To show more emotion in matches and finding a way to defeat Rafael Nadal.

Jose "Peping" Cojuangco (POC)  - To not meddle in sports anymore and just retire NOW.

Stephon Marbury (NBA) - To quit whining and cooperate with a buyout that helps the New York Knicks move on.

Baron Davis (NBA) - To get in better shape and start working harder to help the Clippers.

Jeff Hardy (WWE) - To stay out of trouble and maintain the status of being the WWE's most popular superstar.

Manny Pacquiao (Boxing) - To concentrate on defeating Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather this year.

Brock Lesnar (UFC) - To learn submission defense in preparation for either Nogueira or Mir.

Chot Reyes (PBA) - To give Ren Ren Ritualo more playing time.

Chris Tiu - To play more basketball, either in the national team or the PBA, and do less TV.

Steve Hontiveros (POC) - To either grow a pair and actually work for the betterment of sports or retire permanently for the betterment of sports.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield (WWE) - To get in better shape because flab doesn't invoke fear or hatred.

Brandon Vera (UFC) - To bring back the fire in the heart and the firepower in the fists and knees lest he fade into obscurity.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Boxing) - To put up or shut up regarding Manny Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. (Boxing) - To just plain shut up.

Marlou Aquino (PBA) - To actually earn my paycheck.

Kenneth Duremdes (PBA) - To give up plans for playig and just concentrate on coaching.

     Like I mentioned earlier, resolution lists are usually left undone, but new year's day is also a great time to hope and wish, right?

  

In Philippine Sports, Obama's Dream continues to be a Holy Grail

     The recent US elections had the Americans show the world that they are, indeed, ready for change.  They elected Barack Obama as their 44th President, making him the first African American president.  Being overshadowed by this historic election with worldwide implications is a smaller election that is no less important to us Filipinos.

     On November 28, 2008, the different heads of the National Sports Associations will elect a new Philippine Olympic Committee President, along with the other board members and officers.  Running the respective campaigns are incumbent POC President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco of Equestrian and Shooting top honcho Art Macapagal.

     Everyone, even the politicians themselves, says that politics has no place in sports, but as early as last year, it has become clear that politics has once again entrenched itself in this POC election.  Cojuangco, the POC President that was acclaimed into office, has finally encountered a serious threat from Macapagal, who seems to have garnered allies in his quest to change and improve Philippine sports. However, the former congressman has made several moves to ensure his stay as head of POC.  Now, some of his staunchest allies in the POC are entrenched in controversies, all related to keeping the balance of power in his favor.

     Mark Joseph, the swimming head, has been facing raps because apparently, he was only supposed to serve as a transition president until the elections, but he has continued to serve (is that even the right word?) as president for several years.  A group of concerned parents and swimmers have questioned his stay, and while months ago the POC promised to hear their case, the story and the complaint have now been effectively quashed.  Whatever happened to Joseph's promise to face the group and the facts that they have?

     The archery head, his name escapes my mind, is also embroiled in controversy.  According to Cojuanco's own nephew, the "incumbent" Archery prez has submitted an "irrevocable" resignation months ago, but now, this Archery head not only plans to vote in the POC elections, he will also be running for a board seat under Peping's ticket.  According to Peping, the resignation was never "accepted" so he is still the Archery head.  Why was the resignation not accepted?

     Steve Hontiveros, the bowling president and ultimate Peping supporter, will get to be president until December but apparently he will run for reelection in January.  Just recently, the Pasig Bowling Association (PBA), Hontiveros' association , has announced it now has 1000 members, thereby giving the PBA an unprecedented amount of votes for next year's Bowling elections.  An insider was made to finally admit that the membership fees of the 1000 "members" of the PBA (who are apparently PLDT employees), a number unheard of in the history of Philippine bowling, was  paid for by one Peping Conjuangco.  Wow. Will these 1000 members play in the PBA Open this week? 

     So what do the three controversial heads and issues have to do with the POC elections?  All three are penciled in as votes for Cojuangco on November 28.  I guess there's no better way to thank these three than helping them keep their positions in their respective NSAs and giving them prime positions in the POC.  Just recently, Peping Cojuangco assailed the Macapagal team, even saying, "Is winning that important to them?"  Well, Mr. (former) Congressman, right back at you.

     Macapagal is no angel either, but right now, he represents a change Philippine Sports so desperately needs.  Will he be great?  I don't know, but the incumbent will definitely be no better.  In his tenure, he has come up with the worst showing in the SEA Games in decades (2007 Thailand), the worst Olympics in 16 years (2008 Beijing).  His only success is the 2005 SEA Games, where he was fortunate enough that Mike Arroyo was able to cajole private corporations into a one -time effort to financially-support our teams, while our teams were adrenalin-powered by home court advantage.  In those years, he has also managed to bring infighting to basketball, equestrian, archery, swimming and bowling, which I personally witnessed.  

     At this most crucial time in Philippine sports, we stand at the proverbial crossroads.  During Obama's victory speech, I was moved to witness that his slogan, "Yes we can!" finally came to fruition and I constantly ask myself why we can't say the same with regard to our sports.

     The answer? A picture of Peping Cojuanco saying, "No you can't."   

Dissecting the Olympic Debacle (part 2)

Foreign Investment

While many grumble about recruiting Fil-Foreigners to the national team, I most welcome this move. After all, they are Fiilipinos too and they have every right to compete for national team slots. Hopefully though, these FIl-Foreigners are not given free passes to join the team. Let them try out and just give them slots because they were trained somewhere else. Furthermore, if we are going to recruit Fil-Foreigners, let's make sure we recruit the best ones, ones who can win, or young enough to improve and win. Please, no more supposed saviors like Athletics' David Bunevacz or Tennis' Eric Taino. Why didn't we get Swimming's Coughlin, who is now a two-time Olympic gold medallist or BMX Cycling's U.S. National Champion Caluag, who desperately wanted to represent us but was ignored by the cycling NSA? Recruiting Fil-Foreign players will help us, as long as we get the right ones. If we can't train the right ones, then let's go homegrown for that particular sport.

Learning from Jedi Masters

Almost all sports officials try to look learned by exclaiming we always need "grassroots development program" to boost sports development in our country. The problem is, nobody is really creating a proper grassroots program for any sport. Most "grassroots programs" here are nothing more than kids playing and enjoying the sport. Nothing wrong with that, but the program should be designed with a particular goal and time frame, if we want to develop future world champions. The problem is, most of our coaches, especially in these youth programs are former players or relatives with no coaching experience or training. No offense to these people as they are mostly volunteers, but how are they expected to imbibe the proper fundamentals if they don't know them themselves? What we need are elite coaches for oth the national AND grassroots programs, or better yet, we should pay the elite national coaches enough to handle both programs. This will ensure continuity between the two programs. At this time, though, most of our sports are in need of elite coaches, and admittedly most sports would need foreign coaches. Our national coaches are mostly great people (and I have met a lot of them), but we all need additional knowledge from them. Hiring all these coaches would require tons of money, but it is the proper step to the right direction. Also, that's why it's key to pick very few priority sports.

Pruning the Weeds

It's a common refrain to ask officials to step down whenever we lose, and I have to say, there is some prudence in that call. Unfortunately, many of these sports officials don't actually leave or find a roundabout way to come back. Sports officials are not politicians. Their roles include promoting the popularity and development of the sport. They are given funds and they have to manage these between international tournaments for the national team and different tournaments for the promotion of the sport in the country. This is not a job for people who don't play the sport. This is not a job for people who can barely play. This is not a job for politicians. We should have officials who have been working for the NSA for several years, beginning with the dirty work like arranging events, looking for private sponsors and the like. This way, they can learn the job first ad become the NSA Head when they are good ready. We should have officials who play and enjoy the sport, so they have a better idea on how to promote it. Lastly, we should have officials who go around the the happenings of the sport so they can truly understand the athletes and the sentiments of all participants. Sports officials should be people completely immersed in the sport, like the eer humble and passionate William Ramirez, not politicians who lose their congressional bids or brown nosers who cling to positions like barnacles.

There you have it. They are simple solutions but seemingly out of our sports officials' collective brains. Hopefully, sports politicians, especially those currently on the upper echlons of our sporting world, will soon find themselves jobless, and that will get the ball rolling. In this way, it won't hurt so bad to root for our national team.