No need to count and recount gold medals, or look around for outstanding performers in Philippine sports this year.
The Philippines, from a lowly sixth place, topped the Southeast Asian Games, starting the soar with a burst of 20 golds on opening day; and never looking back until it totally ruled the biennial regional meet.
There has never been anything this stupendous in the history of Philippine sports.
The greater thing here is that the Philippines, which was being called the Sick Man of Asia in sports, practically started from the floor.
There was magnificence and magic from Day one, with President Duterte, who swayed and swooned to a lively welcome number on opening day at the Philippine Arena, appearing most amazed, enthralled.
The soar to the summit had barely started.
Next came a swarm of gold medal wins from practically all directions, as far as the northern seas, where a Filipino athlete abandoned his lead in a gold medal race to pluck a beleaguered Indonesian rival from grave danger.
Surfer Roger Casugay, who proceeded to cop the long board gold medal, has refused to be ranked a hero.
He ended up carrying the Philippine flag in the closing rites.
There were many other outstanding performers. But nothing came close to Casugay’s noble feat.
Casugay, with a golden heart, has earned the Games’ purest honor.
As for Mr. Duterte, he has instantly assumed the role of Philippine sports No. 1 Fan.
When the Philippine delegation next trooped to Malacañang for an audience, Mr. Duterte turned very generous.
He padded cash rewards for medal winners, while giving out the Lapu-Lapu award to the heroic athletes.
He also vowed to increase the allowance of elite athletes to as much as P250,000.
Victorious athletes cited proper funding and continues government support. Triumphant associations claimed international training and exposure proved very vital. The availability of new training and competition venues was also hailed.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino said they would work on a progressive general strategy to sustain the surge toward sports excellence.
Still, there were those who felt the instant rise was too good to be true.
Was this indeed the much-sought turn-around for Philippine sports?
Can they hold on and maintain the thrust once the SEA Games gets hosted by Vietnam in 2021.
What about the promised audit and probe of the wild spending for the 2019 SEA Games?Have all the problems been swept away by the gold-medal rush in the grossly excessive hosting under the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee ruled by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano?
The promised honest audit and accounting should next take center stage.
Or have all the suspicious overpricing disappeared as part of the Manila Magic? INQ