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SEN.
Francis “Chiz” Escudero yesterday proposed the adoption
of a merit system in determining government support for
national sports associations (NSAs), saying the creation
of a long-term monitoring system on the performance of
Filipino athletes would help determine their real medal
chances in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“There
is no need to squabble, finger-point or self-blame now.
The Olympics are done and over with, we need to move on,
but we have to learn from the mistakes we’ve committed,”
said Escudero, reacting to the fusillade of criticisms
received by the 15-athlete delegation following its
forgettable stint in the recent Beijing Olympics.
 “It
may be four years from now, but the next Olympics
actually beckon upon us. Should we sulk in one corner or
shall we act and do things right now? The answer is
obvious; ready or not, we have to turn our sights on
2012 and give our athletes a real chance at winning,”
Escudero added.
The
senator said he will support moves to bring back the
Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) share of 5 percent
from the gross income of the Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), saying what the PSC receives now
denies the agency of its full potential to implement its
programs.
But
Escudero said the PSC should not spread its resources
too thinly while formulating concrete actions to achieve
its goal of a total sports package. Identification of
disciplines to receive private and government support
will also be a key factor in the repacking of PSC
programs.
“The PSC
should reevaluate its spending. While it could not limit
its support to just a few, a big concentration of its
funding should be spent on sports associations with real
chances of winning in the Olympics,” he said. “National
government should also take a closer look at sports and
make it among the priorities as it plays a big part in
nation-building.”
Escudero
said he is aware of the PSC’s monitoring system but
expressed the need to make its findings public, saying
it would help stakeholders, public officials and private
firms interested in providing additional support a
better view on which athletes or sports deserve
support.
“I
received information the PSC is keeping records of NSA
performance, including NSAs which performed poorly, not
only in the Olympics but in other competitions, as well.
These records would provide a jump-off point for the
merit-based support system which we are trying to
propose,” the lawmaker said.
According to Escudero, NSAs should prove themselves by
keeping an impressive track record in completing their
training and competition schedules. NSAs whose athletes
would fail to submit impressive records will receive
less support than NSAs with winning capabilities.
“The PSC
should keep track of each NSA’s performance. It should
ask for, say, a monthly report on the progress of
training vis-à-vis their counterparts in the SEAG, Asiad
and Olympics,” he said. “The PSC should keep record of
NSA performance and base its support on medals won, time
slashed from past records, each meter cut from previous
runs, jumps and throws.”
Escudero
also said the country’s fruitless campaign in the last
12 years and three Olympics should serve as a wake-up
call. “These failures are enough to convince the
resignation of NSA officials who have served long enough
but have failed to deliver.”
He said
it would take a firm political will on the PSC’s part to
implement these.
“We are
aware of the unique relationship between the PSC, on one
hand, and the NSAs and POC [Philippine Olympic
Committee] on the other. But if we really want to win a
gold medal, or gold medals in London, we can really take
a deep look on what we are doing now and consider
various options and make them work,” Escudero said.
“The
Olympics should be our primary goal, but we will not
take our focus on lower class competitions, too, like
the Southeast Asian and Asian Games,” he added. “It is
my personal conviction to support these endeavors.” |
