Phl sports gets an assist

Phl sports gets an assist | Daily Tribune

But in the last couple of years, this old system had quietly changed.

Under the Marcos administration, Philippine sports has received a perfect assist. Sports has evolved from a passion project into a legitimate driver of national prestige and economic growth.

The biggest sign of this growth is the performance of Filipino athletes. Since Hidilyn Diaz won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Philippine sports has entered a golden era of excellence with the likes of Carlos Yulo, Ernest John Obiena and, lately, Alex Eala — evolving from underdogs into legitimate contenders on the world stage.

With Filipino athletes turning into world-class sensations, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has rolled out its sports tourism campaign. PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio spearheaded the hosting of various international events following his appointment as chairman of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee.

This year, the PSC hosted quite a handful of international events like the WTA250 Philippine Women’s Open, the Philippine Golf Championships, the 2026 Asian Track Cycling Championship and the 2026 Asia & Oceania Sambo Championships.

Before the year ends, the PSC will hold the World Surf League Championship Tour Event and the 9th Asian Aerobic Gymnastics Championships, underscoring the Marcos administration’s commitment to use sports as a key driver to boost the local economy.

Of course, implementing all these will not be possible without financial backing.

Last year, the Supreme Court granted the petition for mandamus filed by former Pampanga representative Yeng Guiao instructing the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to remit the full five percent of its gross income to the PSC as part of its share in accordance with Republic Act 6847.

The ruling had its full implementation in February, wherein the PSC got a huge boost in its sports development fund — the budget that finances the allowances, training, and participation of the national team in major international tournaments — on top of the back-due settlement of P37 billion that was accumulated from PAGCOR’s under-remittance from 1993 to 2024.

With the huge funding boost, the PSC now has the financial muscle to send elite athletes to topnotch training centers and competitions around the world while further expanding its grassroots program with the hopes of unearthing the Hidilyn Diazes, Ernest John Obienas and Alex Ealas of the future.

Still, the biggest assist the Marcos administration gave Philippine sports was the announcement by the National Bureau of Investigation that it will launch an inquiry into the unliquidated expenses of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) Foundation — the body that managed the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

Led by former Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as chairman, the Phisgoc Foundation’s hosting of the SEA Games raised a lot of red flags.

From the unimaginative logo and mascot to the athletes’ breakfast of kikiam and egg, all the way to the useless giant cauldron that reportedly cost P55 million of taxpayer money, athletes and officials were wondering if the price tag of P7.5 billion really went to the country’s hosting or was just pocketed by corrupt sports officials.

Now, with the NBI diving deep into the investigation by summoning Suzara and key Phisgoc personalities while seeking the help of the Commission on Audit and the PSC, the controversy that was mothballed for the past seven years will finally be revived and Filipinos will know whether their hosting of the SEA Games was truly a success.

Yes, the Marcos administration may not be perfect. But in sports, its game plan is working, the momentum is real and the athletes are delivering. All it needs to do now is keep the engine running and never let our world-class athletes run on an empty tank again.