Manny Pacquiao has agreed to help sponsor a bill in Congress for the
creation of a Philippine Ministry in Sports, cabinet level.
The good congressman representing Sarangani made the decision
after a brief welcome speech opening a warm get-together with members of the Manila sports media Monday evening.
Pacquiao did not bat an eyelash and said yes when asked if he would care to help.
He asked legal assistant Jeng Gacal to find ways to draft the bill.
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Pacquiao was already heading out of the Harbor View in Luneta when asked for a favor.
He was busy shaking hands,
returning greetings, but took time out to listen to the suggestion.
Pacquiao, of course, knows it would not be easy to make an
airtight bill creating a national sports ministry.
Above all, the bill must be fool-proof, meaning its prospective head must not, and must never, be beholden to the powers-that-be in the national Olympic committee.
It must be comprehensive, with an annual budget, and should leave no space whatsoever for the usual insider politicking that continued to damn Philippine sports.
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It must ensure the well-being not only of national athletes, but the
Filipino youth as a whole through a sound physical development program incorporated in the national school curriculum.
The proposed legislature must be wholly professional, with the ministry manned by competent experts of quality training and background.
The Pacquiao bill will surely put emphasis in leaving room for the poor and the underprivileged, like out-of-school kids, to get a chance at excelling in sports.
With Pacquiao agreeing to fight for the creation of the national sports ministry, it should also form part of his gift to his countrymen a few days before his 33rd birthday.
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Pardon this, but we take this
opportunity to make angkas with the Pacquiao win-win bandwagon to print this appeal:
Mr.Joel Palacios
Vice President for Public Information
Social Security System
Dear Sir: This refers to the reassessment of pension promised by a lady assistant you assigned to help me when I filed for my back pay upon retiring over three years ago.
For the record, the kind lady did call the attention of the pension assessor upon learning that I would be getting less than what was originally expected.
May I request you to help me revive that request for reassessment of my pension?
For the record, a friend who works with SSS, who has helped several neighbors here in Mandaluyong, took it upon himself to check on my record.
After a review of my record, this fellow has asked me to submit a written request to your office—for adjustment of monthly pension.
He also said that based on my records, I should be getting more than I’ve been receiving every month.
For whatever, here’s my official SSS registry: RICARDO A. TRINIDAD 03-2409905-6 May 9, 1943.
Thank you very kindly for your attention.
Respectfully,
Recah Trinidad
Sports columnist