Why not a Department of Sports?

There is so much activity going on politically because of the inevitable Philippine Olympic Committee elections, and the merry-go-round of commissioners at the Philippine Sports Commission.

The situation is fluid, and exacerbated by elections in important national sports associations (NSAs) like the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines. Recently, the PSC underwent a short congressional hearing on next year’s budget, which is once again extremely small.

The unfailing interest in sports, and the increasing number of events held in the Philippines beg the question: why not have a Department of Sports? Since sports was devolved from the DepEd, there has really been no government agency in charge of the mass proliferation of sport, from the teaching of it to the identification of talent. Just try keying in the word “sports” on the department’s website (www.deped.gov.ph) and you’ll hit a dead-end. Actually, it is one of the twin mandates of the PSC to promote the grassroots development of sport, but the agency is stretched as it is. With the revolving door at the commission, it is very difficult to sustain permanent developmental programs. One of the reasons why the Philippine Institute for Sports is blossoming is chairman Butch Ramirez’s stubborn desire to see it grow. When he eventually leaves office, what is the guarantee that it will still be there?

As it stands, the position of chairman of the PSC (which is directly under the Office of the President), carries with it the rank of an undersecretary. This means that, although it has an assigned budget (a large chunk of which still remains unremitted by Pagcor), policy decisions and implementation of large programs still require higher approval. In short, the PSC does not have the complete resources that it really needs to fulfill its mandates.

What are the stumbling blocks to putting up a sports department? First of all, other government officials do not see the value. In the US, physical education is being phased out of a lot of schools. Here in the Philippines, the Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports has nine major programs being implemented through twenty big projects, ranging from school sports competitions to traditional games. However, with their limited resources, and the lack of attention given by DepEd, how much of an impact can they really make? One of their projects is physical fitness mass exercise and testing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall the last time I was tested for my fitness level outside of going to my own gym. When have you been tested?

Another problem is the members of the status quo would rather not slice the pie any thinner. If the PSC is a full-fledged department with a Cabinet-ranked top official, where will its additional budget and personnel come from? But when you think about it, it’s not that big a shift, since the PSC already has a budget from the National Sports Development Fund, and existing personnel. Besides, there are areas where the government can cut costs if it wants to.

Another problem is that we have another national election coming up in 2010. This early, both sides of the political fence are already distracted by the dirty tricks and maneuvering for positions in the minds of their partymates and the public. Half of their attention is still on trying to do their jobs. So any major change now would rock the boat unnecessarily, unless of course, the administration would like this bold new step to be its legacy. And a sports department would be very difficult to undo.

All around us, the vast majority of populations are getting inert and fat. We are slowly going down that path, as well. In 10 years’ time, the Philippine health care problems will be magnified a hundredfold, as people get sick from fatty food and new dominant diseases like diabetes and kidney failure. We are seeing it in younger and younger Filipinos. The best and easiest way to fight it is through physical fitness.

Countries that have very strong government sports programs are all very progressive. The US, Australia, Germany, China and Japan are clear examples of strong sports programs instituted nationwide. Cuba may be considered communist and poor, but it has a strong showing in the Olympics, and provides free health care; two things the democratic Philippines cannot say.

Sports can be a big contributor to everything we do as a nation.

Healthier citizens mean less strain on health care, less lost man-hours in business, greater productivity, more capacity for creativity, and greater output as a whole. The impact on our gross national product alone would be tremendous.

A few years ago, there was a small group of congressmen who pushed for a Sports Department. But their pleas were met with a deaf ear by their colleagues. Now, we have Congress making token resolutions lauding Filipino athletes who bring the country honor abroad, or showboat during hearings on why we don’t do well internationally. All of these simply waste people’s time and money, our money. In the last three congresses, how many laws have been passed that would seriously help sports?

At the end of the day, the sports community will have to go it alone.

All it would need is the full autonomy and resources to be able to accomplish wonders.

As Winston Churchill once said, “Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

But is anybody listening?