An old tune

I failed to watch the airing of the Vox Populi program of Councilor Diosdado Mahipus on Sky Cable last week because of a prior commitment but there were friends who told me they saw the interview. To the good councilor, my sincere thanks for the invitation extended to City Sports Development Division.

Bong Go, the Mayor’s executive assistant, was supposed to attend the interview but because of his very hectic sked, he asked me and the office-in-charge Moses Billacura to sit down for the interview.

It was fun doing such interaction. The lawyer-councilor’s program Vox Populi, I must say, has a considerably good following. For the most part, it was fun discussing a topic closest to the hearts of the three panelists that day—Moses and myself with sports promotions mogul Darren Evangelista.

As a sportsman, I have not gone much often lately to interviews like this. I have had in the past been on the panel of several interactions including a commentary before the City Council on the very controversial issue of the need for a sports complex.

As was in the past, most of the issues are just about the same. Sports complex, sports programs under the Duterte administration and even the mothballed Artica Dome.

I guess by now, many questions which used to be unanswered, have been answered now.

Take the case of the issue on sports development where critics of the city government have long harped about having none at all. In fact during an inauguration of a proposed gymnasium project, the issue was even elevated to the point of justifying the project and glorifying its proponents. For whatever it’s worth, it’s still people’s money anyway. Why press the horn?

I have pointed out in the program of Councilor Mahipus the existence of a considerably high number of private gymnasiums and just about every barangay has a covered court. You can build as many as you want. But what purpose are these structures if you do not even have a solid sports program?

Building gymnasiums and covered courts is a money thing as any public infrastructure projects are. Why the hell all of a sudden we repair roads and build a gymnasium towards the next elections? Why not before? Sports programs are different. This is not money thing. This is genuine service. It’s like distributing relief goods. You distribute sports programs to promote health, physical fitness and community peace and cooperation. Throw in the anti-drug campaign too.

My friend Moses also pointed out in the Vox Populi program the existence of an institutionalized comprehensive sports program of the city government encompassing all barangays of this big city. When Mayor Duterte appointed Bong Go to supervise the city’s sports programs, the upturn was phenomenal. It may be as silent as the worker that Bong is, but it is very successful in so many ways and in the areas unheard of in the sports map before.

The sports program of the city is not the elitist model. It is socialist in nature. The people, especially the masses who will not hesitate to play in sandlots and backyard courts, as its driving force. The thing is to get people into sports.

What use does a huge sports facility have if it only caters to those who can afford to pay the rent so they can dribble on wooden parquet floor? We do not exist for the PBA to come. Let Panabo City do that. They need entertainment there. We exist to send players who are products of our program to be in the PBA. That is the real mission.

In my hometown Mati, a House Representative also built a huge gymnasium inside a state-owned campus that is located away from the heart of town. When it was built, the official was at odds with the mayor that is why the decision to build the facility inside the campus was political in nature. The 8,000-seat facility has not been used to the maximum by constituents of the province. Only a very few. Only the students perhaps in few occasions even. If you rent the facility to promote a concert or the PBA perhaps, forget it. The rent will kill you. The rates were pegged by the Board of Trustees of the college most of them reside in Manila and are used to Manila rates.

We are seeing the same model again.

Don’t get too excited.