HAIL TO NEW CHIEF

Patrick Gregorio has been appointed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to replace Richard “Dickie” Bachmann as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

No less than Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin made the confirmation when asked to comment on multiple reports that Gregorio is on his way to becoming the 13th chairman of the PSC.

“Yes, that’s right,” Bersamin said in a short message to reporters on Saturday.

Talk about the changing of the guard at the PSC has been brewing for the past 10 months. However, reports gained ground when Marcos ordered all government officials to submit their courtesy resignations as part of his “bold reset” entering the second half of his six-year term.

Bachmann’s courtesy resignation was said to have been accepted on Friday night. But there are no words yet if the resignations of sports commissioners Olivia “Bong” Coo, Matthew “Fritz” Gaston, Edward Hayco and Walter Torres will be accepted.

Gregorio will formally assume the role on Tuesday, 1 July, armed with a mission of renovating the government sports facilities inside the Philsports compound in Pasig City and Teachers Camp in Baguio City while fostering a solid relationship with other agencies like the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

He is also expected to oversee the training and preparation of Filipino athletes who will compete in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December and the 20th Asian Games in Japan next year.

Sideliners claim that his very close working relationship with Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla led to his appointment. After all, Remulla had witnessed his leadership, negotiating skills and management savvy as they are both part of the group that supports the University of the Philippines (UP) men’s basketball program.

No wonder, when Remulla, then the governor of Cavite, was appointed as the country’s chief of mission in the Paris Olympics, he picked Gregorio to serve as his deputy.

DAILY TRIBUNE tried to get Gregorio’s statement, but he politely declined pending the transmittal of his appointment paper from Malacañang to the PSC main office in Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. His appointment is expected to be formalized on Monday.

The 57-year-old Gregorio will bring a wealth of experience and solid leadership to the agency that plays a crucial role in the inspired performance of Filipino athletes in recent major international competitions.

The eldest son of the late UP professor Martin Verdeprado Gregorio and Lucille Kapunan had a stellar career in the hotel industry before being appointed by Manny Pangilinan as executive director of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas when it was founded in 2006.

Then, he was appointed as executive director of Smart Sports before serving as governor of TNT Tropang 5G to the PBA board of governors, paving the way for him to become the league governor in Season 40 in 2015.

He is also no spring chicken when it comes to sports administration.

He served as secretary general of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines under the leadership of Victorico “Ricky” Vargas. When Vargas became the POC chief in 2018, Gregorio served as his secretary-general until he stepped down in a controversial election a few months later.

Now, Gregorio is serving as president of the Philippine Rowing Association, a federation that has sent two athletes — Cris Nievarez and Joanie Delgaco — to the past two editions of the Summer Games in Tokyo and Paris.

Aside from that, he also serves as head of the Hospitality and Lifestyle Ventures of Landco Pacific Corp., which operates the hotels in Baguio City — The Manor at Camp John Hay and Forest Lodge at Camp John Hay.

Greorio’s sports management firm, Duckworld PH, was also instrumental in the successful revival of the Tour of Luzon, the iconic bikefest that first started in 1955 before being shelved in 1998.