Eye-popping prediction

Team Philippines’ send off for the Southeast Asian Games. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Philippine chef de mission (CDM) William “Butch” Ramirez heard his national sports associations (NSAs) right—that the country stands to reclaim the Southeast Asian Games’ overall title by winning an astounding 274 gold medals.

And that’s the projection of only 45 of 56 NSAs that will see action in the biennial Games the country will be hosting from Nov. 30-Dec. 11.

‘‘That forecast is not impossible,” Ramirez, also the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair, said on Thursday night as the Philippines shoots to reign supreme for the first time since 2005 when it last hosted the Games by winning just 113 gold medals.

This bold prediction by the NSAs comes on the heels of the country’s disappointing performances ever since ruling the Games in Manila 14 years ago.

Since that glorious 2005 effort, Team Philippines has won a combined 196 gold medals in the last six editions of the Games, with the country bagging just 23—its lowest in history—in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 to finish sixth overall.

“The PSC is not supposed to predict [the outcome of the overall championship], but during our meeting, 45 NSAs said that we can win 274 golds,” Ramirez said.

“While the PSC remains committed to grassroots sports programs, I can say that our support of the athletes is unprecedented,” he said. “Our athletes are not neophytes, they have foreign training and we have the hometown support.”

Ramirez was also the CDM in 2005 when the Philippines won 84 silver and 94 bronze medals for a total of 290.

He said the PSC has already spent P1 billion for the foreign exposure of the national athletes with the agency also ready to hand out the windfall to Filipinos who will land medals.

While announcing what was promised by the NSAs, Ramirez stressed that he is not a member of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), which came under fire because of the whopping cost of the cauldron—just shy of P56 million—to be used in the Games.

While saying that he is a member of the executive commission along with Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, Ramirez clarified that he is not a signatory in dealings entered into by Phisgoc.

‘‘This is not the time to accuse Phisgoc of corruption, extravagance, etc.,” said Ramirez, who stressed that the Commission on Audit would do its job, as accorded by the law, after the Games. Ramirez stressed that he has great respect for the Phisgoc leadership headed by House Speaker and Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano. The country’s delegation will total 2,140, including 1,085 athletes and coaches.