POC housecleaning should start with football

The Philippine Olympic Committee is showing it is dead serious about keeping sports afloat in the country. POC chairman Monico Puentevella’s intervention in the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup hosting fiasco is proof that our sports official will no longer tolerate loss of face brought to the country by inept national sports association officials.

The long-standing congressman from the lone district of Bacolod has given us a ray of hope that we may salvage the honor brought to us by the Azkals and host future matches and qualifiers at the Panaad Complex under his jurisdiction.

The POC can begin investigations into each NSA that falls below the standards of professionalism that bring us success in international and world competitions. They just bring the hammer down and cut support to the officials who use their sports as their own personal fiefdoms and run them like family corporations.

The POC can now move forward with its plan to build a new sports complex inside the former Clark air base in Pampanga. An intermediate alternative would be to upgrade existing facilities in San Jose, Tarlac; Lingayen, Pangasinan; Iloilo, and the newest facility, Mindanao Civic Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte. The further away from big cities, the better, to avoid distractions to the athletes.

Puentevella, a former varsity athlete who held the longest tenure among past PSC commissioners, also campaigned in Congress to have the Philippine Sports Commission elevated to a Cabinet-level position. As of now, the PSC chairman holds the rank of an undersecretary under the Office of the President, and thus has no consistent budget or other resources from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). He also contested decisions that he felt were inimical to the interests of athletes and the sporting public.

Puentevella, who also had the ear of Pres. Gloria Arroyo, fought for the restoration of the full remittance of the amounts due the Philippine Sports Commission from Pagcor. Throughout past administrations, Pagcor has not turned over billions of pesos to the PSC for interpreting the National Sports Development Fund executive order its own way. Instead of taking five percent off the top for sports and then deducting 50 percent of the balance for the national treasury, Pagcor has been doing it the other way around. The new officers of the PSC are in discussions with the new board of Pagcor to rectify this matter.

With the new strong family bond between the POC and the administration, and the POC’s newfound power within the PSC, both entities can now make strides in turning NSA’s from mom-and-pop operations to professionally-managed organizations. The one thing people should look out of is that the standards should apply to all, regardless of their affinity with certain PSC or POC officials.

And the disgrace of not having a live television coverage for the Asian Games should be avoided. The managements of the three government television networks have been unable to plan or create revenue-generating projects because they are actually co-terminus with their appointing power, the previous administration. Because of their being in limbo, their hands have been tied. They could start something new today and be replaced tomorrow.

The POC and PSC, which have active print media bureaus, should look into having regular broadcast online outlets, as well. So far, there have only been indications that their interest in broadening awareness has been initially focused on social networking sites.

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Meanwhile, world record-holding sports fisherman Noel Flores has set another world record.

On Nov. 22, Flores took an even bigger risk, using a six-pound line to catch another record-setting golden trevally off the coast of Calatagan in Batangas. Boating the fish, however, was more difficult than the first record. It took Flores a frantic hour and twenty minutes to land the trevally, all the while looking out for the indigenous barracudas that have feasted on the fish struggling on his hook and line as he inched them closer to the boat. His new record, once certified by the International Game Fishing Associaion (IGFA) will beat the existing record by an Australian game fisher, his main competition in the lower weight categories.

Flores, who has contacted fellow San Beda alumnus and Phil. Sports commissioner Chito Loyzaga for financial support, knows his battle is not yet done.

“We need one more record, so people will start paying attention. I think a third world record will make our countrymen proud,” said Flores, who runs a printing press in Cubao in Quezon City. “I hope sponsors come in soon. We really need the help. And all these records are being set in Philippine waters.”

On July 9 off the coast of Calatagan, Flores used a live shrimp bait to bag a record golden trevally with a rare eight-pound line. He hurriedly cleared the boat of the 11 other lines he had dangling in the water immediately. After a 40-minute struggle, the little fisherman landed a 2.9-kilo record catch with an 8-pound line. It was a dream a long time in coming.

Flores beat the old record by about two kilos. He needed authoritative confirmation, so he sent his own weighing scale to the IGFA to have it certified accurate. He also contacted the IGFA to confirm the record, which they did.

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