PSC launches own talent search

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is planning its own talent hunt in an attempt to catch promising athletes that fall through the cracks of a sometimes flawed system of national sports associations (NSAs).

PSC chair Richie Garcia said the agency will start with boxing and ask up-and-coming boxers from the country’s premier stables to join qualifying tournaments for the national team to the Southeast Asian Games next year and the 2014 Asian Games.

Garcia has already talked with ALA Promotions CEO Michael Aldeguer in Cebu City, the stable that produced the likes of Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and AJ “Bazooka” Banal, among others.

“I challenged him (Aldeguer) to produce a gold (medal) in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics,” said Garcia. “We’re appealing to all boxing gyms in the Philippines to let their boxers participate in the national qualifying.”

Garcia said boxers already trained by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (Abap) will slug it out with other talents the PSC discovers to strengthen the national team. This way, the PSC chief said, NSAs can’t play favorites.

“There are many cases here of favoritism or `bata-bata’ system,” said Garcia. “If you don’t belong to a group or the coach doesn’t like you, you don’t have a chance of making the team.

The country’s last Olympic medal was a silver won by Manueta “Onyok” Velasco in 1996 in Atlanta.