IN a recent meeting-cum-get-together among members of the elite Philippine Olympians Association, the reported sale of the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex by the city of Manila to a private developer was too hot to handle a topic.
So hot that Joseph Eric Buhain—one of the finest Filipino swimmers ever, a Seoul and Barcelona Olympian, many-time Southeast Asian Games champion, a former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission and Games and Amusements Board, athlete-activist and now a triathlete (he just could not leave the water)—expressed on social media what he felt about the “impending sale” of the iconic complex that practically tells all on Philippine sports history.
The BusinessMirror sought Buhain’s permission to print in full his inspiring piece about Rizal Memorial.
I wasn’t able to sleep well last night.
I guess it might have been the adrenaline rush from seeing all the generations of Olympians from yesterday’s Philippine Olympians Association (POA). Or the sadness of hearing that the RMSC (Rizal Memorial Sports Complex) may no longer exist.
When Mr. Paeng Hechanova (POA president) spoke on the podium regarding the issue that the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex may be demolished because a commercial developer wants to purchase it from the city of Manila, I felt sad, to be honest. I started walking those corridors and swam in that pool when I was only 9 years old. 37 years ago! I dreamt of competing in front of my countrymen in international competitions for so long that in 1991 I got that chance.
I prepared one year before the SEA (Southeast Asian) Games by remembering those corridors and that pool and walking in it, then swimming, then winning, then hearing our National Anthem on the podium. And it all came true. Six golds. What a week that was I shall never forget.
When Monsour (del Rosarion, taekwondo) spoke and said he had a letter addressed to my Kumpadre (William) Butch Ramirez, chairman of the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), and President (Jose) Peping Cojuangco of the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee), appealing not to destroy the history of RMSC, I started to nod my head in agreement. Sama ako dyan.
Then my Kumpadre Butch spoke and asked a very simple question to all of the Olympians present. He asked, “I hear you, and I hear the call to preserve history, but has anyone actually done anything to show the love and respect for the history in RMSC?” That struck me very hard.
I know I have shown much love and respect for the sport of swimming. Ang dami kong tinuruan lumangoy. Ang dami kong inspirational speeches na ginawa to encourage swimmers, and so on and so forth. But have I actually shown any love for RMSC? That’s the question in my head and my heart right now.
What can I do to show that love and respect that RMSC deserves?
On another table, my with boxer friends Arlo Chavez and Harry Tañamor, tinanong ko din sila kung ano nga ba nagawa namin sa RMSC or sa boxing gym nila para naman magpasalamat. Kelan ba tayo huling pumunta doon?
Pinuyat mo ako Pareng Butch!
Pare ko, salamat sa paalala sa amin lahat na Olympians kung gaano kalaki sa buhay namin ang RMSC.
Dadalawin ko ang RMSC bago pa man mangyari. Maybe a visit could help me find some ideas on what I can share to RMSC to show how much those corridors and that pool has meant to me.
(In an official statement released late last year, a group led by Enrique Razon said that in its “preservation plan, it will maintain as well as fortify the RMSC façade. But within the façade and walls will rise contemporary buildings that will house modern offices and commercial areas run by smart technologies, replete with modern amenities and green open spaces. A sports museum will also be built. The business areas are expected to compensate for the expensive and meticulous process of restoring and preserving the RMSC façade.
“With this urban renewal, Manila is expected to quickly catch up with other cities in the National Capital Region that have quickly grown and modernized. Moreover, the revitalized RMSC is expected to provide a new revenue stream for Manila, as well as create thousands of jobs.”)
Image credits: Roy Domingo