There is a natural tendency for the government sports development and policy-making body, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and the private, international, non-government sports organization, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), to go on a collision course unless there is a deliberate effort on the part of the heads of the two agencies to work together and assume a position of humility. By humility, we do not mean giving up one’s rightful prerogatives but, more importantly, putting the larger interest ahead of one’s personal and organizational interest.
The PSC has been mandated by law to assume responsibility for the development (which includes funding and providing technical assistance) and regulation of Philippine sports while the POC has been mandated to promote the spirit of Olympism and maintain autonomy from government. The set up therefore easily leads to conflict and territorial confusion, but it need not be.
Perhaps, to better appreciate where the PSC is coming from, it may be good to present anecdotes regarding my defense of the PSC budget before our legislators in 1997. I do recall that when I was defending the then P250 million or so budget of the PSC appropriated by Congress (excluding funds from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, which resulted in an additional P300 million), the then chairman of the Senate’s Finance Committee, veteran legislator Sen. Ernesto Maceda, had as its resource persons a number of Olympians and Asian Gamers.
Maceda asked the athletes for their position on some financial matters. When the athletes were hesitant to answer, Maceda advised them that, “Chairman Philip Juico and the rest of the PSC officials, are government officials who are being asked to account for the money given the PSC. Your are not government officials or personnel. You are here to provide advice which can help us make the PSC more effective in its use of government funds. The PSC is accountable for such money. And you can tell us how PSC has fared.”
That remark of Maceda perhaps captures the state of mind of PSC: “We (PSC) were given by Congress the funds which the POC and National Sports Associations (NSAs) are using. As stewards of such funds, we (PSC) are accountable for such funds. We therefore ask you (POC and NSAs) to use the funds wisely. If you do not, we (PSC) and not you (POC and NSAs) will be chastised by Congress, and can face charges.”
That remark of Maceda only further emphasizes the need for PSC and POC to work as a team and that they are both part of Team Philippines. The opponents are our rivals in international competitions – the PSC and POC are not opponents but members of the same team.
It is precisely because of my belief that the PSC and the POC are members of the same team that I tried hard to ensure a smooth working relationship between the PSC and POC during the administrations of POC Presidents Gen Rene Cruz and Cristy Ramos, daughter of Pres Fidel V. Ramos who appointed me as PSC chairman in March 1995.
It would of course be inaccurate and untruthful to say that I did not have disagreements with Cruz and Ramos, both of whom are strong-willed individuals. But I must add that we did work together every time the greater good was at stake. For example, I had the opportunity to help form the Philippine team to the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1995 and to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 with the Cruz-led POC. Because of the smallness of the Philippine delegation to Atlanta (that included eventual boxing silver medalist Onyok Velasco), forming the team to the 1996 Olympics was a breeze. Not so however for the Chiang Mai games since the SEA Games is used by our sports officials for “exposure of rookie athletes and to reward veterans”.
The POC and the NSAs therefore wanted to get as many athletes (and officials) into the delegation. I perfectly understood that way of thinking. I however believed (shared by the POV) that we could not open the floodgates to everyone, including those who did not even have a remote chance of a bronze medal. A screening committee made up of people from PSC and POC whom Cruz and I trusted and who could serve as our emissaries to each other was therefore set up. The committee established standards acceptable to both the PSC and POC. While there were still some kinks, they were ironed out because we wanted things to work out.
As long as those involved are sincere and they are willing to talk face-to-face, there should be no problem that is insurmountable.