EDITORIAL - Casualty of corruption

Commenting on a subject close to his heart, Sen. Manny Pacquiao said the other day that corruption and politicking in the country’s sports agencies were hindering Philippine efforts to produce world champions in athletics.

The world boxing icon, who chairs the Senate committee on sports, on Tuesday held the first hearing of his panel, which was attended by officials of the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Pagcor is supposed to remit five percent of its earnings to the PSC.

Pacquiao later called for an end to corruption in the sports agencies, and said he himself was a victim of politicking when he was applying to be a member of the Philippine boxing team. He also wants an accounting of the funds remitted by Pagcor to the PSC amid complaints by the commission that it was not getting the full amount.

Filipinos have long blamed officials in charge of sports development for the country’s dismal showing in international sporting events including regional competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games. Instead of improvements, the country has seen its athletes’ performance worsen in recent SEA Games, with the Philippines now near the bottom of the regional heap.

In the Olympics, Vietnam and Thailand bagged gold medals on the first day of the Games in Rio de Janeiro, while Singapore’s gold is memorable because its swimmer Joseph Schooling bested the United States’ multiple-gold winner Michael Phelps.

The Philippines, on the other hand, is rejoicing over its best showing in Rio – a silver medal in weightlifting by Hidilyn Diaz. While the silver ended the country’s Olympic drought, Diaz might have done better if she had received more support from sports officials. Pacquiao is in charge of the panel that can propose the necessary reforms. Those longing for sporting glory for the Philippines must support the proposals.