Missing the point?

La Salle’s graduate school of business dean Philip Juico says Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain are missing the point in their debate on the relevance of grassroots development in the drive to develop champion athletes.

Juico, a former PSC chairman, is amused by the positions taken by the officials. He insists they’re barking up the wrong tree because the focus of their discussion is far from the root cause of the problem.

The debate is symptomatic of the problem which is structural, explains Juico. It isn’t whether or not to integrate the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy into a Philippine Youth Games. It isn’t whether or not to hold two grassroots development programs in a year. Juico says what’s bugging Philippine sports is the lack of a road map, a vision to direct its mission.

"Basically, we have no plan," rues Juico. "That’s why the terms of reference in their debate aren’t clear. We need management in sports and part of management is planning. The management of our national sports program requires planning. The solution isn’t to just organize competitions which is the orientation of an athlete like Eric. Unfortunately, some of our officials try to justify their presence by organizing one competition after another, spending a lot of money with nothing or little to show for it. Their concept of planning is the preparation of a calendar of activities. Planning isn’t in their comfort zone."

Juico says during his term in the PSC, he tried to focus on planning and in fact, completed an eight-volume master plan for sports. "It was two years in the making," he notes. "We consulted experts from the Australian Institute of Sports and we studied the experiences in our countries. When Butch Tuason took over as PSC chairman, I gave him a copy of the plan. At first, he was enthusiastic about it. But nothing happened in the end. I think the government at the time didn’t want to touch anything that was initiated by the previous administration."

Because of the lack of a road map, Juico predicts a dire finish for the country in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam this December. "Pupulutin tayo sa kangkongan," says Juico. "And in 2005 when we host the SEA Games, we’re dead meat unless we do a wholesale recruitment of developed Fil-Am athletes. That’s how bad our situation is. I’ve written President Arroyo suggesting to withhold the release of funds for the SEA Games unless there is a master plan binding the PSC and POC."

Juico says the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) can’t forever be the milking cow for sports without a clear direction. "PAGCOR contributes over P200 Million for sports every year," he continues. "There is an endless stream of requests for funding and PAGCOR is wondering kung ano ang puno’t dulo nito. Without a plan, it’s difficult to say where we’re headed. If we get a good performance in an international competition, it’s usually by accident. Now, it’s a hit-or-miss proposition when we compete."

Juico singles out two sectors that are living a hand-to-mouth existence without a plan–sports and arts and culture. "The NEDA (National Economic Development Authority) requires master plans from each sector to justify funding," he says. "Transportation, tourism, agriculture, natural resources–they’ve all got master plans. But in sports, there’s none. It’s not as if we’re not spending big amounts for sports. I estimate spending about P500 Million for sports every year or P5 Billion in 10 years. Surely, now is the time to develop a master plan that will guide us to the 2005 SEA Games. We in the La Salle graduate school of business are willing to do it."

Juico says if other countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Hong Kong can produce doable master plans for sports development, there’s no reason why the Philippines can’t.

"It’s a matter of being creative, resourceful and innovative," he adds. "Our sports leaders must have a servant’s heart to think selflessly of sports development. Kung talo tayo sa pera ng ibang bansa, we should make up for it by studying twice as hard, doing our homework so we can narrow the gap and get ahead. We’re an intelligent people. We have good thinkers and good planners. We can learn from the experience of others in crafting our own master plan. There’s no secret to it. We’ve just got to do it. And when it’s finally done, we can continuously try to improve it–it shouldn’t be etched in stone. Our problem is structural. We need a vision and strategic planning in developing a road map for sports."

From the looks of things, Dayrit and Buhain are on a collision course. Dayrit is pushing to rationalize the PSC’s priorities and deemphasize grassroots development so there’s more money available for the development of champion athletes in the traditional Gintong Alay approach. Buhain says the PSC is none of Dayrit’s business and accuses the POC and the National Sports Associations (NSAs) of not doing their part in partnering for the advancement of the country’s sports development program.

With Dayrit and Buhain at odds, it’s no wonder that Philippine sports is in a state of disarray. Without a blueprint that binds both the POC and PSC, Philippine sports is doomed to failure. Juico is right. The country’s sports leaders must agree on a common vision, a common terms of reference, and a common mission for something good to happen. It’s all about getting their act together. It’s all about selflessness. No politics, no hidden agendas. If sports officials are working in tune, they should all be on the same page without fear of yielding turf.