Fighting the Good Fight

     The only goal a good documentary should have is to shine the light of truth on an otherwise hidden or unknown subject.  Whether it's to expose a government's ineptness to handle a terrorist attack or the terrifying effects of eating fast food everyday, documentaries need to surprise and move people and their emotions with an unadulterated dose of the truth.  The problem that faced the directors, Oscar winner Leon Gast (When We Were Kings) and Filipino american Ryan Moore, was that their only subject, Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, is one of the world's most recognized faces.  Pacquiao's day to day routine and life story have been well documented, too well documented , in fact, that showing a new side, a new truth is a herculean task.

     Predictably, the documentary tracks Pacquiao's rags to riches story, from a small fishing village in General Santos to the small city in Saranggani and then later the streets of Malabon.  It also predictably tracks Pacquiao's amazing (and still ongoing) boxing career, from his early Philippine and Asian wins to his startling rise to greatness on the world stage.  But to say that the documentary is a predictable reel with the hopes of bolstering Pacquiao's future political career would be just too lazy.  The documentary provides a hidden, unexpected gem that only real silence will allow.

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My Final Plea

     There is no hiding the fact that I have absolutely no faith in Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. and utter disdain for his antics.  I'm getting that out of the way so that everyone can read this with a grain of salt.  In light of recent developments including his outright declaration of disinterest in fostering peace through Philippine Sports, I just feel this has to be said.


     Peping's presence and leadership in the POC is detrimental to the health of our sports programs and he should do the country a great service by resigning.


     I could go on and on about my personal feelings about how he effectively threw away the youth development program I had laid out when I was National Youth Bowling Coach, but I figured to make my case more "admissible," I will try to keep this 80% facts and 20% feelings.  


Report Card

     Since Cojuangco took over as president in 2005, the Philippines participated in 3 South East Asian (SEA) Games, 1 Asian Games and 1 Olympics.  Three of those 5 events were unmitigated disasters. The '07 Thailand SEA Games performance was the worst in history (a 6th place finish overall).  Meanwhile, the 2006 Qatar Asian Games were no better, with the Philippines placing 19th (well below SEA Games neighbors Malaysia and Thailand) winning only 4 golds.  The Olympics?  Well, how about one? As in one big fat egg, with the country winning no medals in the regular sports with just a couple in wushu, a demonstration sport.


     The recently concluded 2009 Laos SEA Games offers no solace as well, with the Philippines ending at an "improved" 5th place, a place we never even heard of just three years and 1 Peping ago.  The only feather in the cap was our 2005 Philippines SEA Games performance, where we finished first overall.  That feather, however, still comes with a black eye, as allegations of misplaced/misused funds continue to hound the POC almost 5 years later.


Smoke Detected

     In his tenure as POC president, Cojuangco, ever a "sportsman" as he claims, became an active president and got involved with several National Sports Associations (NSAs) in an effort to help.  These lucky NSAs were archery, basketball, billiards, bowling, cycling, equestrian, swimming and wrestling.  Four years into Cojuangco's presidency, each of these associations have already experienced major leadership trouble and controversies, and each of these sports have underperformed in the tournaments mentioned above.  Furthermore, only 1 (basketball) has shown any semblance of a viable and significant youth development program since 2005 and that one is being bankrolled by Manny Pangilinan.  Now, it would be quite a debate to prove Cojuangco caused all these messes, it's just a little too convenient that these were the only sports that encountered these problems.


     In times like this, where life is hard enough as it is, few people in power remember the importance of sports; that many count on it as a source of national pride and problem distraction.  That is why this Peping problem is a problem that must be solved with some urgency.  


     I've written about this many times, but before I alienate people with my dogged insistence, this will be my final plea.  I have not decided on who to vote for president, but I am leaning towards fellow Atenean Noynoy Aquino, so this is my plea to you, sir and to your other rivals.  While I don't mind presidentsiables taking their time on touchy issues like the reproductive health bill or President GMA's prosecution, I want a president who will decidedly act to save Philippine Sports, our foremost source of pride.


     My vote is for sale.  Assure me that you will remove Peping Cojuangco from Philipiine Sports and you have my vote.  


photos courtesy of abs-cbnnews.com and philippinesfunwall.wordpress.com