Sporting Chance

Although the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) isn't obligated to provide financial assistance -- such as pensions and monthly allowances -- to retired national athletes, it won't sit idly when the likes of 1964 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Anthony Villanueva call for help.

POC Presidents Cito Dayrit said yesterday his heart fell after reading in The Star that Villanueva is selling his medal for P1 Million because of hard times.

"I didn't even know he was in town until I read his story in the papers," continued Dayrit. "Then, I met him at the PSA (Philippine Sportswriters Association) Awards Night. I asked him not to sell his medal and told him we'll try to do something for him, like maybe, give him a loan."

Dayrit explained that since it isn't the POC's responsibility to provide for retired athletes, he didn't really know what to offer Villanueva. A loan was the first thing that entered his mind.

"I just wanted to assure Anthony we would do our best to help out," said Dayrit. "I couldn't even tell him how much we could offer. A loan is just one option. We could raise some money and lend it to him at no interest. But if we can raise a substantial amount, we could place it in the money market and use the interest to give Anthony a monthly allowance -- a pension. So that's another option. Everything will depend on how much we can raise. As you know, it's government that's supposed to provide pensions and incentives. But we in the POC would like to do our share, too, if we can."

Dayrit said in a POC Executive Council meeting last Wednesday, it was decided to undertake a fund drive for former Olympic medalists, including Villanueva. The Council members volunteered to donate P100,000 from their own pockets as seed money to get the ball rolling. The plan is to raise as much as P2 Million then use the monthly interest as pensions for the medalists. If the fund builds up to P2 Million, it can earn at least P18,000 a month at prevailing interest rates.

"It's a good gesture for the POC to help," said Dayrit. "We want to help out, in whatever way we can. I just hope Anthony's patience doesn't run out. We've started to knock on the doors of prospective corporate sponsors. We're trying our best. At the same time, we're also raising funds for our athletes going to Sydney. We're still figuring out what we can offer to those who come home with medals."

On another matter, Dayrit said the Executive Council picked Buddy Andrada as the Philippine delegation's Chef de Mision in Sydney because of his experience. Andrada was also the country's Chef de Mision at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

"Our focus is to capture our first Olympic gold medal in Sydney," Dayrit pointed out. "The Council felt that we need an experienced Chef de Mision to make sure there are no hitches in our campaign."

Dayrit said Go Teng Kok was also considered for the position but the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President begged off.