PHILIPPINE Sports Commission chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez issued a warning to national sports associations (NSAs)—perform well in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games or deal with some stingy consequences.
Ramirez said he expects the NSAs to have a good showing in next year’s SEA Games in Malaysia. Non-performing NSAs, however, will have serious repercussions as far as their budgets are concerned.
“I will really tell the NSAs, you perform. If you don’t perform, look for your money,” said Ramirez during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.
The national athletes are looking to improve on their sixth-place finish in the past SEA Games when Malaysia hosts the biennial meet in 2017. Ramirez, however, made it clear that the PSC will be throwing its full support to the athletes and coaches in their build-up for the SEA Games.
“Ang sabi ko sa mga coaches, doblehin ko ‘yung budget but give me your target and goal for 2017,” said Ramirez, who expects the government support to bear fruit in international competitions.
“Number eight na ba tayo o nine? Hindi ko alam ‘yan, ang nakakalaam nyan, NSAs. Dapat sila ang managot diyan,” he added.
Ramirez also said the NSAs should be answerable to the performance of their athletes and not the PSC, which only supplies the budget for the NSA’s programs. He even recalled searching for answers to respond to Sen. Tito Sotto’s, a former bowler himself, question during the recent Senate committee hearing on sports, which he says was an eye-opener for all NSA’s.
“The people, the Philippines, the Senate, House of Representatives, and many others, are asking after 26 years, saan na ba tayo? It’s so humiliating na, katulad ng sabi ni Sen. Sotto, nung walang budget sa gobyerno, number one sa bowling. Ngayon na may funding ng PSC, wala ng medal,” he said.
“Malaki ang pananagutan, obligasyon, at responsibility ng bawat NSA,” said Ramirez.
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