Beautiful problem

The wildfire created by the rumor that Richard “Dickie” Bachmann is on his way out as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has been growing.

Well, it didn’t come as a surprise. With the Summer Games already sealed, Philippine sports is entering some sort of a transition in preparation for a new Olympic calendar that will culminate in Los Angeles in 2028.

Changes are looming at the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) as well. The POC will be holding its election on the last Friday of November, in which Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino will shoot for a fresh four-year term at the top together with some members of the POC executive council.

If the rumors come to fruition, Bachmann will be stepping down as one of the most accomplished leaders in the 34-year history of the government sports agency.

Shortly after being appointed head of the country’s top sports agenda in December of 2022, Bachmann hit the ground running and spearheaded the preparations for the FIBA World Cup.

He did a marvelous job in utilizing the government resources, making sure the country would have a memorable and very successful hosting of the world’s most prestigious basketball event outside the Summer Olympics.

Shortly after the World Cup, Bachmann applied his magic anew when Team Philippines, bannered by Gilas Pilipinas, posted a historic finish in the 19th Asian Games.

But nothing was bigger than what the national athletes achieved this year. Carlos Yulo gave a miraculous performance when he won two gold medals in the Paris Olympics — a golden feat that was never done by any Filipino in the past.

Simply put, Bachmann had overachieved.

Sideliners believe the race for the next PSC chairmanship is going to be tough. A lot of names have been floated like rowing president Patrick Gregorio, gymnastics chief Cynthia Carrion, former football president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, and incumbent PSC Commissioner Matthew “Fritz” Gaston.

Some quarters claim the President might pull off a surprise and appoint somebody from a different sector — like a doctor or a sports scientist — for as long as he could provide for the needs of Filipino athletes.

But it will take more than clout for the next PSC chief to be successful.

The PSC is set to receive an additional P25 billion from its share of the gross revenue that the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) had failed to remit for the past three decades.

Although Pagcor is reportedly still contesting the Supreme Court ruling, the whopping amount is expected to be credited to the national sports development fund by next year.

And that will be the start of this “beautiful problem.”

Having P25 billion in its war chest will be both a blessing and a curse for the next PSC chief.

It’s a blessing because he will have massive government resources at his disposal to implement his plans and programs for the national athletes. He can build more training centers, create a bigger national pool, come up with a more solid talent identification program, or simply jack up the allowances, food and nutritional expenses, and bonuses of the national athletes and coaches.

He can do everything. The PSC chief can be very flexible for as long as he spends the money in accordance with government accounting rules and regulations.

But, at the same time, it is also a curse.

With such a huge amount in his war chest, the PSC chairman will definitely be under the microscope with ranking government officials keeping a close eye on him.

With P25 billion on its way to the PSC coffers, the President has to be very careful in picking the next PSC boss.

Yes, he can appoint whomever he wants or even retain Bachmann, who did a fine job steering the PSC in the right direction. But at the end of the day, the PSC head should not just have the experience, the technical know-how, the savviness, or the political connections to run Philippine sports.

He should also have the integrity and humility to run the agency and manage the great fund that is supposed to go towards the improvement of Philippine sports.

With a “beautiful problem” like this, the search for the next PSC chief will be tougher than usual.