MVP sees gold at rainbow's end

BACOLOD – Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) chairman Manny V. Pangilinan admitted the other day he knows little about the complexities of the sport but his motivation in getting involved is the realization that it will likely be a Filipino boxer to win the country’s first Olympic gold medal.

“It’s hard to say no when it’s for the country,” said Pangilinan, referring to the clamor for his involvement in ABAP. “This is a national, not a personal, effort. Our fixed goal is to capture our first Olympic gold in London in 2012. Our participation reflects our commitment to nation-building, a mission we take seriously at PLDT-Smart.”

Pangilinan said his late father Dominador, a former bank president and baseball project director, was a boxing aficionado but his early introduction to the sport hardly made an impact.

“At first, I just thought it was a brutal sport,” said Pangilinan. “But now, I realize how it can inspire our countrymen, how it teaches us the values of hard work, dedication, focus and sacrifice, how it can produce our first Olympic gold. If a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, then it is in Bacolod where we made our first step on the way to London.”

Pangilinan attended the ABAP Congress at the L’Fisher Hotel ballroom Thursday afternoon then watched the action in the National Open, that attracted over 600 fighters from all over the country, at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center here.

Pangilinan was accompanied by Smart chief wireless advisor Doy Vea, ABAP president Ricky Vargas and ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio.

Pangilinan’s corporate approach to professionalizing the ABAP was hailed as the hallmark of a new era in the history of Philippine amateur boxing. He thanked former ABAP chairman Gov. Raul Daza and former ABAP president Manny Lopez, now vice president, for the “smooth and seamless transition” of leadership. Pangilinan said fresh inputs, new programs and new ideas will reinvigorate Philippine amateur boxing.

Vargas enumerated several priorities in his administration – working with all stakeholders in identifying talents, strengthening the national training program with an emphasis on youth, setting up regional training centers, staging a series of competitions, hosting international tournaments, building a stable support system, putting the ABAP house in order, re-establishing close relations with AIBA, constructing a data base of fighters, judges, referees and officials, reworking the ABAP Constitution and By-laws and addressing the concerns of boxers and stakeholders for the future.

Vargas said his acceptance of the presidency is not an entitlement but a commitment to serve. “I hope to cultivate a culture of accountability and performance,” he continued. “My administration will be consultative, collegial, supportive and empowering. There will be continuity but also institutional change. We will instill integrity and professionalism.”