Sea games shame

It’s been decades since I’ve been joining the Philippine Team to the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).  In its early staging, we were always in the top three and even won in 2005 while losing by a mere one gold medal in 1991 in Manila.  But look what’s happening now? The last five years we have plummeted, even overtaken by perennial whipping boys Myanmar and Singapore.  When  the smoke cleared during the last SEA Games in Nay Pyi Tiaw in Myanmar, the Philippines wound up seventh, its worst finish since 1999 (Nakakahiya! said a Pinoy diehard).  All told, the Philippines won 29 gold, 34 silver  and 37 bronze medals. The Philippines finished sixth in 2007 (Thailand) and 2011 ( Palembang, Indonesia) but got more gold medals 41 in Thailand and 36 in Indonesia. In the 1999 Brunei Games, the Philippines logged only 20 gold medals out of 490 at stake.  When we won in 2005, our athletes annexed 113 golds while winning 101 in 1991 to make second place.  So we again ask what went wrong?  As usual the reason is lack of preparation and money.  My “kababayan” and good friend PSC chairman Ritchie Garcia said we have to identify  and train athletes early.  When we placed second in 1991, we had foreign coaches.  For instance, Cubans trained the boxers while the tracksters were aided by Russians.  We could have won more gold medals if Olympics sports like gymnastics, lawn tennis and bowling but these were replaced by indegenous games like vovinam, kempo and pancit- eating, este... chinlone.  Our next campaign will be in the Asian Games this September in Incheon, South Korea.  In the 28th SEA Games, I hope we could regain a little respect and go up  the ladder or risk overtaken by Laos.  “Hindi pa tayo laos”!