TO PEOPLE wondering what would be up for Philippine sports under President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, the selection of the competent and tested sportsman William “Butch” Ramirez as Chair of the Philippine Sports Commission should provide the answer.
Ramirez for sure will sustain his goal of establishing a national sports academy, which he started to put together during his tenure as PSC head, before the take-over of the outgoing Aquino administration.
Anyway, among the few fellows who were able to confirm ahead the selection of Ramirez as PSC Chair by Mr. Duterte was the sports guru Dr. Aparicio Mequi, himself a former PSC Chair.
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We take pleasure in printing a helpful portion of his letter:
“There’s need for change in the sports associations. Unfortunately, change cannot be imposed even by incoming President Duterte because these sports officials are protected by the IOC Charter and any attempt to effect change will be counteracted by these officials invoking freedom from government interference.
“So, what’s the solution? The following could be considered, some of them already being imposed—but need to be reaffirmed by the incoming PSC Board:
1. Submit updated SEC registration papers and status by end of Aug. 2016.
2. Liquidation of all cash advances before any subsequent grant is given.
3. A short (three years), medium (five years) development plan to be submitted by end of Sept. These plans will be utilized by PSC as bases for financial assistance. No plan, no financial aid.
4. For every NSA activity to receive financial support, the specific objectives, targets and success indicators must be clearly stated. No targets, no funds.
“The incoming PSC Board must protect itself from abuses committed by nonperforming NSAs. The Board must conform to the core values that President-elect Duterte wants to define his administration. Thus, the PSC must transmit these core governance ethics to the NSAs. Such ethics are compatible with the philosophy of Olympism. Hence, there should be no problem regarding government interference in Phil membership in the international sports community.”