PNG lacks media coverage?

SOMETHING is seriously wrong with this year’s Philippine National Games (PNG), which will be staged for the first time under the joint auspices of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

The PNG is only a few days away, yet many people are not aware of it. Why? Could it be because the week-long event lacks the breathless coverage in the media compared to the other sporting events?

Truth be told, my coffee mates at SM Marilao hardly talk about the PNG, unlike their never-ending analysis, debates and discussions on the recent Pacquiao-Mosley humdrum fight.

Set for May 22 to 29 in the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Silay and Talisay in Negros Occidental, about 8,000 athletes representing 17 regions across the country, including national team members, will show their savvy in the PNG. Thirty-five events will be disputed.

PSC chair Richie Garcia said P30 million worth of taxpayers’ money will be spent for the games.

On the other hand, PSC commissioner Jolly Gomez said outstanding performers will earn a berth in the national pool as the PNG will serve as a venue to discover athletes who will carry the colors in future international sporting competitions, particularly the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and the Olympics.

Basketball, boxing, men’s football, chess, dancesports, golf and shooting will be sorely missed from this year’s PNG calendar because their respective National Sports Association had already scheduled their events.

Still, they assured Gomez they would take part next year.

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The first edition of the PNG is an integrated, Olympic-style, multisports competition. It was declared through Executive Order No. 163 by then President Fidel V. Ramos.

It is open to all eligible Filipino athletes, living here or abroad. The PNG is not like the Palarong Pambansa and other school-organized competitions, which are only for students, or the Armed Forces Olympics, which is only for the military.

The PNG is also designed for “province-based” representations. Athletes represent their province or city, unlike in the Palaro where athletes represent a geographical region.

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Meanwhile, the oldest and most prestigious basketball program for boys and girls in the country today, the Milo Best Center Clinic, will be held at the Laguna State Polytechnic University on May 16 to 21.

Founded in 1978 by Nic Jorge, a former varsity player of the University of the Philippines Maroons, together with the late PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino and ex-three-term Mayor Nonoy Duran of Marilao, Bulacan, Best Center pioneered in teaching the basics of the dash-and-dribble game under the tutelage of experienced and competent instructors.

In San Pablo City, contact persons are BJ Cuello (0915-600-2090) and Zez Iñigo (0917-966-6984).

Aimed chiefly at getting youngsters into sports and keeping them away from drugs and other vices during their summer vacation, Best (Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training) Center is now widely accepted as the benchmark for basketball programs. It has produced standouts such as Philippine Basketball Association two-time Most Valuable Player (1989 and 1999) Benjie Paras and Jerry Codiñera, a past winner of the PBA Sportsmanship Award.

Over time, the program has taught thousands of boys and girls six years and older the fundamentals of basketball and good values like personal discipline, sportsmanship, camaraderie and valuable lessons the youth will carry to their adult life.