Tapping the rich

William 'Butch' Ramirez, who is one of the most likeable to have held the chairmanship of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), is right about his move to tap the country's rich to bankroll the sports development programs. But that's not all.

The idea of going to the people who have money to spend is not exactly new and I surely hope that Chairman Butch would really get the likes of Lucio Tan, Henry Sy, and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala to answer his call.

I know for a fact that these three men, who all made it to the Forbes list of the world's billionaires, are already supporting sports in different ways.

Tan, who controls many of the top companies of the Philippines including Philippine Airlines (PAL), is supporting sports through his businesses.

Zobel de Ayala is a known figure in Philippine sports through the basketball teams of his companies and development projects that push sports.

Sy has his SM Malls that have always been a willing venue for sports events in the various places all over the country where they are located.

What they are now doing for sports of course is not what Chairman Butch wants. I believe this is a call for a personal commitment to support sports like the way some of the country's richest people are doing.

Many times I get to talk with friends and we dream of being rich so that we can help develop sports in more ways than what we are doing now with the limited funds available from our shallow pockets. We haven't stopped dreaming and hope one day we can really do more.

I also know of many people who put their money where their love for sports is. In Cebu we are familiar with the names of Antonio L. Aldeguer for boxing, Michel Lhuillier for basketball, and Edward Hayco for dancesport.

These men are almost synonymous to the sport that they have dedicated themselves to supporting and their efforts are not limited to merely supporting the champions, but most importantly also at developing raw talent.

If we have more sports patrons with an honest to goodness dedication for sports development coming forward, the dream of an Olympic gold medal should have long been achieved.

But, if we really take a closer look at it, there's more to just sports patrons to win gold medals, there has to be a focused program and ample support from the government to achieve the sporting goals that have been set.

The plan of Chairman Butch to tap the country's rich for sports development would definitely work if done properly.

However, let us bear in mind that this is just one of the many solutions that have to be taken.

Let's say for example a rich businessman would decide to spend his extra money for sports development, how would he go about it?

Are there tax breaks for such contributions to sports development? If there is, how can one avail of such?

Maybe our government sports leaders can start by providing such information to prospective sports patrons.

While we may have some true-blue sportsmen who wouldn't bat an eyelash when they pour money for sports, many would also want to know what they can get out of it or more importantly if the money would really go to what it is intended for.

For our athletes and sports officials, let us put some sense on our demands from the patrons so that they would not get discouraged. As I always point out, we must all do our little share.

If you want sports development, start with yourself and learn discipline. This way, you have a better chance of reaching your goals.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings to my fellow Tiger Woods fan, Monina Blanco and also to Auntie Minda Lebumfacil.

More power to both of you!