SEA Games adrift

It is will be the Philippines' turn to host the Southeast Asian Games this December after a long absence in doing so. The last time we did was in 1991 when Cory Aquino was still the President. I remember I was in High School then. I kept a copy of Sports Magazine, along with its 1981 issue -- also hosted by Manila -- kept in the closet by my aunt featuring a brawl of the Philippine and Malaysian basketball teams. In 1991 the Philippines was in high spirits by capturing 91 golds, just one short of Indonesia's 92. It was Herman Suizo whose gold medal exploits won the 91st and tied the count, but Indonesia won the women's event to end the Games in the most closely contested medal tally ever.

Despite its runnerup honors, the Philippines bounced back with vengeance after finishing fourth in the 1989 Games held in Kuala Lumpur after Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia; it's also the last year the Philippine basketball team failed to win the gold by losing to Malaysia.

Lydia de Vega and Eric Buhain were the top heroes and the country is again on the ground after the heels of Mount Pinatubo disaster that scourged not only the country but also its neighbors. That was one of the most memorable sports events I would like to talk about apart from Onyok Velasco's and Arianne Cerdena's gold medal in Seoul Olympics in 1988.

But after those years, the Philippines seemed to slide in the standings and content only to finish behind Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Worse, tiny Singapore and vastly improved Vietnam caught up and are certain competition for that fourth spot. Poor Pinoy athlete: shabbily uniformed (look at those poorly chosen colors and oversized outfits), under trained (at the old Rizal Memorial), poorly sheltered (age old mattresses at their quarters), poorly paid (ask them how much is their allowance). All because of greed and corruption in the institution that a low budgeted agency like the Philippine Sports Commission is not spared by bureaucrats and their wives who prefer to be treated in high end hotels leaving out our campaigners abroad in the dark (ask Juvic Pagunsan on this). After Aparecio Mequi, I thought the leadership was in shambles until Buhain partially restored the pride of a Filipino athlete. But he too had no prior experience in managing a large sports body with bickering associations. He was an athlete who knew how it felt to be in a competition. Yet, presidential appointees who are in the post do not seem to know what they are doing and continue to press for reforms without any action.

Peping Cojuangco is a questionable person who won the leadership only because he had lots of allies and not because of his track record. These type of people should not be allowed to embarrass the country in its efforts to host the Games after 14 years. Once politician, always a politician. Look at Smart's withdrawal of funding. No website about the Games is online as of this writing. Let's see what the First Gentleman can do to save the face of the country.