For some, President Benigno Aquino III leaving out sports in his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday may have reflected the government’s stand on the industry.
But for former Sen. Nikki Coseteng, sports has never been a priority for the Aquino administration.
“I don’t think he has mentioned too much sports previously. Never,” she said.
The outspoken Coseteng also hinted that the snub might have implied dissatisfaction on Aquino’s part of the job done by his uncle, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Peping Cojuangco.
“This may mean that he is not happy with what his uncle is doing, so maybe instead of saying something bad, he’d rather just not say,” she said.
“His uncle didn’t go (to the Sona). I didn’t see him there. So maybe that shows there’s a rift, or he’s just being polite. I think, if he’s reading the news, listening to the radio, maybe he has a clue.”
Since Aquino took over, the Philippines has not excelled in international sports competitions, with only Daniel Caluag bagging the lone gold medal in the 2014 Asian Games, and the country finishing sixth in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore with only 29 medals to boot.
Coseteng was more positive on the developments in Congress, saying “maybe the House (of Representatives) and the Senate will do something about it.”
“Rep. Rufus Rodriguez told me that he’s going to do something about it. Sen. Koko Pimentel said that he was going to tell Sen. Sonny Angara and Sen. Pia Cayetano, but it still remains to be seen,” Coseteng said.