(Ramirez sa tagumpay ng PH sports) KAPAG MAY ITINANIM, MAY AANIHIN

HINDI tsamba ang malaking tagumpay ng Philippine sports sa major competitions, tampok ang makasaysayang gold ni weighlifter Hidilyn Diaz sa Tokyo Olympics, sa nakalipas na anim na taon, ayon kay Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez.

“These achievements were not done by magic. Hindi ito tsamba,” pahayag ni Ramirez na inilarawan niyang ‘exit interview’ sa solo appearance sa unang face-to-face Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum sa mahigit dalawang taon sa Rizal Memorial Sports Complex administration building audio visual room sa Manila.

“Kung wala kang itinanim, wala ka ring aanihin,” dagdag ng PSC honcho patungkol sa daan-daang milyong piso na ibinuhos ng government sports agency sa elite sports at national athletes na nagresulta sa matagumpay na kampanya ng bansa sa overseas.

“I was blessed that we had the money when I came back as PSC chairman and knew the need of our national athletes since I stayed with them at the Philsports Complex dorms in Pasig,” wika ni Ramirez sa session na suportado ng San Miguel Corporation (SMC), MILO, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Unilever, Amelie Hotel Manila, at ng Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Aniya, ang PSC ay nag-invest ng P600 million sa elite sports sa pagsisimula ng kanyang second term noong 2016, P800 million noong 2017, pagkatapos ay mahigit P1 billion noong 2019 para sa paghahanda ng the national athletes sa hosting ng bansa sa 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Ang bunga ng naturang investments ay nagresulta sa pagwawagi ng bansa ng 4 golds, 2 silvers at 5 bronzes sa highly-competitive 2018 Asian Games sa Indonesia, pagbawi sa SEA Games overall crown noong 2019 na may 149 gold, 117 silver at 121 bronze medals, at sa unang gold medal nito sa Olympics sa Tokyo noong nakaraang taon sa likod ng kabayanihan ni Diaz.

Kasama ang Olympic silver medals nina boxers Carlo Paalam at Nesthy Petecio, at ang bronze ni fellow fighter Felix Eumir Marcial, ang Tokyo Olympic edition ang best Philippine outing sa quadrennial Summer Games magmula nang lumahok ang mga Pinoy sa 1900 Paris Olympics.

“These so-called golden years of Philippines was the result of the hard work and sacrifices of our athletes and coaches. And it was people’s money, taxpayer’s money that made it all possible,” pagbibigay-diin ni Ramirez.

“The PSC has not been remiss in supporting our Philippine delegations to overseas competitions. This has been very, very clear,” aniya, idinagdag na ang mga tagumpay ay sa pagtutulungan ng PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, at National Sports Associations.

Para masustina ang mga natamo sa Philippine sports sa susunod na anim na taon, sinabi ni Ramirez na dapat matutunan ng mga bagong lider ng ahensiya kung paano umangkop sa “changing conditions”.

“One of the most important pillars of management is adaptability. Our leaders need to be alert and adapt to the times. Hindi puwedeng patulog-tulog,” aniya.

“We have to provide money, provide proper support for our sports such as sports science and provide good governance by our leaders. You will not achieve this high level of performance in international competition without these provisions,” paliwanag pa ng PSC chief.

Ayon kay Ramirez, nakahanda siyang bumaba sa puwesto sa katapusan ng buwan matapos ang mahigit dalawang dekadang paglilingkod sa PSC, una ay bilang commissioner noong1998 sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni late chairman Carlos Tuason.

“I am ready to return to Davao but am willing to be an adviser and share my experience and knowhow with the incoming PSC leadership,” dagdag ng 72-year-old Davao City native.