Big J bats for Sports Authority

DAVAO CITY, Philippines  – The PBA’s Living Legend is calling for the creation of a Philippine Sports Authority headed by a Cabinet Secretary to prioritize sports as a government policy but warns that if officials aren’t sincere in efforts to provide for the welfare and training of athletes, the outlook will still be bleak for the next Olympics.

Robert Jaworski cut short a business trip in China to speak as guest of honor at the second Davao Sports Hall of Fame induction in the Pagcor Pantawan Hall, Lanang, here Saturday night. He flew in with wife Evelyn and consultant Reli de Leon a few hours before the early evening rites.

From the airport, Jaworski checked in at the Marco Polo Hotel then dashed to speak in a students forum at the Holy Cross of Davao College. He inspired the students to be responsible, follow their dreams, glorify God’s goodness and work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of others. “There’s no secret to success,” he said. “It’s all about hard work and a commitment to succeed.” Then, Jaworski went to the Pantawan Hall for the Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement where he met three of Davao’s heroes of yesteryears – Jun Inigo, 84, Lito Bangoy, 83, and Bayani Espino, 68.

Inigo was the first Davao cager to play in the post-war UAAP as skipper of the UP high school varsity. He later suited up for the La Salle seniors teams that won the 1947 NCAA and 1948 National Open titles. Bangoy was on the San Beda NCAA champion squad in 1955 with Loreto Carbonnel and Caloy Loyzaga and played seven years for YCO in the commercial leagues. Espino was the first Rizal Memorial Colleges varsity cager to break into the NCAA with the 1964 Ateneo Blue Eagles and was named to the NCAA All-Star Selection under coach Kiko Calilan.

In between his speaking engagements, Jaworski expressed his sentiments on the performance of the Philippine delegation at the recent London Olympics in a Star interview. He was dismayed by reports that the national archers trained with inferior equipment and got new bows too late to make a serious bid for medals. Jaworski also said National Sports Associations must be accountable for the performance of their athletes and how funds are disbursed because “even in the Vatican, there is an accounting.”

As for government’s refusal to remit five percent of Pagcor’s gross income for sports, Jaworski said it must be contested. “We should fight for it because that’s the law,” he said. At the end of the recent Olympics, Filipino sports officials lashed out at the lack of funding support for athletes and threatened to sue government for violating the law in remitting only half of what it should for sports.

Jaworski explained that the Sports Authority will lay down the overall direction for a national program and coordinate the efforts of the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee. “The vision will include a curriculum for physical education at the elementary level where kids can be introduced to sports science,” he said. “We want to elevate the status of physical education teachers and get kids involved in sports at an early age. Sports is a unifying element for the country. We need sports heroes to inspire just like Manny Pacquiao inspires us. We need to multiply our heroes who are worth emulating. We need to know how to come back from failure, to learn from our mistakes. All of us face challenges of unimaginable proportions. We must be prepared to face these challenges.”

Jaworski said a national sports program is doomed to fail if the leaders aren’t sincere. “There is a wrong appreciation of politics,’” he said. “It’s okay for politicians to be in sports for as long as they’re sincere in providing for our athletes, that they show a resolve to accomplish their goals for the good of the country. As a nation, we have many strong traits, we have so many proud hearts. With self-esteem, we can multiply national pride if our athletes represent our country well – it’s unquantifiable. Nobody is bigger than the word ‘discipline.’ Sports brings out the best in you but you’ve got to do your share, be honest and reliable, cooperate and obey authority.  Sports addresses belonging, a sense of national identity. Other countries work hard so they’re properly represented in international competitions like the Olympics. We need to bring respect back to the Filipino in sports where we go out there to compete and never say die.”

Davao Sports Hall of Fame founder and president Jaime Quitain, a retired Regional Trial Court Judge, called it “The Awards Night with the Living Legend.” With Jaworski, Quitain handed out plaques to the second batch of Hall of Fame awardees. The posthumous inductees in the Builder category were Sen. Alejandro Almendras, Carlos Inigo, Sr., Manuel Cabaguio and Vic Sai. Those in the Athlete category were Bangoy and his brother Tony, Inigo Jr., Espino, former Oriental superwelterweight boxing champion Armand Picar (represented by his mother and three children), Ben Pascual (known for scoring 148 of his team’s 171 points in a game for the International Harvardian Colleges) and Cesar Dignos. There were several citations in the Team category.