Sports for Life forever–and ever!

IT’S NOT for the lack of something more relevant to tackle that Jose Cojuangco Jr. has remained top item in the sports section again as the days of the year started to dwindle down to a precious few.

It’s already the tailend of poetic September. Autumnal October signs in next, then it’s November, when the election for officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee come to be held, as scheduled.

This call for a change in the Philippine sports landscape should’ve fired up national enthusiasm and also inspired great expectations among us sports lovers.

* * *

Sorry, there’s hardly a stir.

You see, Cojuangco’s control of the POC, which he has been implementing for over 12 years, goes on record as the most unproductive stretch in Philippine sports.

The fault can’t be pinned solely on Mr. Cojuangco.

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But then, there’s also that motto—Sports for Life—which Cojuangco had caused to be loudly posted outside the main gate of his family’s Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

Whether or not that was his call for unified sports development, or an exclusive lifetime mantra, not even the IOC (International Olympic Committee) could objectively determine.

Cojuangco, by the way, is a devout sports enthusiast, although he has never scored significantly in any playing field, except maybe the smalltime political arena.

* * *

The former congressman should go down as the most avid sports spectator in the country; he has never missed a single official all-paid Olympic family excursion in his past three terms as POC president, or maybe much earlier.

Now 82, he has also secured, this early, a trip ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with his impending (unopposed) election to a fourth straight POC presidency next November.

It could not be immediately determined if there’s a limit to how long one sportsman—whether genuine, bogus or plain bum—could rule as his country’s national Olympic committee kingpin.

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Truth is there had been desperate calls for an end to Cojuangco’s unproductive leadership, with the closest challenge to his presidency coming in the form of the aborted threat by the tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan to go for the POC presidency four years ago.

Was MVP’s last-minute withdrawal caused by coerced abortion?

Don’t blame Uncle Peping, cried Cojuangco’s top lieutenant, Joey Romasanta, in a press statement yesterday.

“Nobody is preventing them from aspiring [for Cojuangco’s position],” Romansanta stated.

* * *

Then why are they deathly afraid of the former congressman, the younger brother of the People Power heroine Cory Aquino?

Here: A random poll of possible aspirants bared that all these cheap dreamers were not actually afraid of Peping Cojuangco.

So what’s wrong, what’s preventing these shaky crusaders from mounting a noble challenge?

* * *

“Not fear, of course,” said one tested sportsman who will remain anonymous for now.

So what?

“Because Peping has painted the POC presidency wholly foul, selfish, inconsiderate, meaningless.”

* * *

Is that all?

Not only that, added this respondent who explained that, as things stand and go, the POC presidency was being used as a family heirloom by its current chief owner.

There promises no end to the dictatorial “Sports for Life” prayer adopted by Cojuangco & Family, forever and ever. Amen!