The entire nation was stunned seeing former President Rodrigo Duterte dragged onto a private plane and carried off to the Netherlands to face crime against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court.

The gripping turn of events looked like it was borrowed from a best-selling political thriller. What used to be a strongman who ruled the country with an iron hand suddenly appeared frail and vulnerable as he was transported to a faraway place where he would be made to account for the deaths of thousands of Filipinos who fell victim to his bloody war on drugs.

No one knows what will happen to the former chief executive. What is clear, though, is that at nearly 80 years old, his body will definitely have a hard time handling the stress and anxiety brought on by the lengthy trial and incarceration thousands of miles away from home.

There’s no denying, however, that Philippine sports flourished at the height of Duterte’s power.

In fact, shortly after being elected in 2016, he appointed his most loyal soldier, William “Butch” Ramirez, to helm the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Leading the government sports agency was nothing new to Ramirez — he had been PSC chairman from 2005 to 2009 under the Arroyo administration. A former seminarian, Ramirez was Davao City Sports Commission chairman and Ateneo de Davao University athletic director. He was also chief of the advance party of the Duterte campaign team.

He had also served as deputy chief of mission of Team Philippines when the country hosted the Southeast Asian Games in 2005 and was chief of mission when the Filipinos trooped to Doha for the Asian Games in 2006.

In short, Duterte’s choice to oversee the government sports agenda didn’t need a honeymoon period. Ramirez hit the ground running and applied the same framework that made him successful during his first stint at the PSC.

And to make sure the government sports agency would yield overwhelming results, Duterte appointed a former top athlete in basketball legend Ramon Fernandez as well as a long-time Ramirez protege in Charles Maxey and veteran PSC employee in Arnold Agustin to serve as commissioners.

Duterte’s decision worked like magic. Ramirez led the country to a strong performance in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.

The following year, Ramirez’s leadership and ability to reach out to the executives of both the public and private sectors were put to the ultimate test when he led the country to a successful hosting of the 30th SEA Games — a feat that was considered the jewel on the crown of the Duterte administration.

At one point, sideliners even suggested naming the event “Du30th SEA Games” as a nod to the all-out support that the administration was giving to Philippine sports.

After the SEA Games, the competition’s main venue — the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac — became a hub of sports excellence, paving the way for the emergence of the National Academy of Sports, the first educational institution catering exclusively to student-athletes.

A few months later, the pandemic brought on by the deadly coronavirus struck, effectively paralyzing Philippine sports.

But instead of being disheartened, Ramirez and his commissioners took it as a challenge.

They worked hard to restart the training program for athletes who would see action in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Their hard work and sacrifices reaped a handsome reward as weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz gifted the country with its first ever Olympic gold medal, sparking the so-called “Golden Age” of Philippine sports.

Looking back, the Duterte administration was not perfect. It was peppered with controversies, including the shutdown of ABS-CBN and the harassment of Rappler, the Pharmally scandal, and the bloody war on drugs that claimed the lives of thousands of Filipinos.

But one thing was certain: Digong, the President, was very different from Digong, the sportsman.

With the help of his long-time friend Ramirez and his board of commissioners, the Duterte administration was able to perfectly accomplish the mission of the PSC of making sports accessible to all.

With the old man currently incarcerated, let us remember not just his iron-fisted rule that led to the deaths of thousands, but also his dedication, unwavering support and effort to put the Philippines on the world sporting map.