MANILA, Philippines—Overhaul Philippine sports.

The call came yesterday from the man who saw the country’s Beijing Olympics campaign crumble into pieces—RP delegation chief of mission Monico Puentevella.

The Bacolod representative and Philippine Olympic Committee vice president stressed the need for a massive “overhaul” of the sports system which does not only involve the sports bodies but other government agencies as well.

Puentevella, who is expected to personally brief President Macapagal-Arroyo of the Olympic debacle, said other agencies like the Department of Education, Department of Local and Interior Government, Department of Budget and Management and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation must join in the campaign.

“More than half of the 15 athletes we brought here broke national records,” said Puentevella in a teleconference from Beijing. “But to win a medal needs an overhaul of our total program.”

The weightlifting association chief and former PSC commissioner said there is a need to restructure the Palarong Pambansa of the DepEd, revive Batang Pinoy (for 12 years old and younger) and fully utilize the Philippine Sports Institute.

He added that sports medicine, particularly the PSC’s medical arm, the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine, should be upgraded.

All these, according to him, won’t be possible without “appropriate budget” from the government.

For the Beijing Olympics, the government shelled out P30 million for everything including training and tune-up competitions here and abroad.

“But most of all, let’s get our act together: The POC, PSC, DepEd, DILG, DBM and Pagcor,” he said.

The Senate and Congress approved P250 million for the PSC this year after slashing it down to as low as P70 million for the past three years. Aside from the training of athletes, they are spent for the upkeep of the PSC-owned facilities and its daily operations.

The Pagcor is mandated by law to remit five percent of its gross earnings to the PSC but its computation on how much will be given to the sports body remains under dispute.

The PSC receives an average of P25 million a month from Pagcor although officials said the amount could reach as much as P100 million if its own computation is followed.