Drawing inspiration from incoming President Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to change the landscape of public service, Butch Ramirez intends to do the same thing when he assumes the chairmanship of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the second time next week.
“The instruction of the President is to reach out to the provinces to improve grassroots development, expose even the young athletes to foreign exposure and upgrade the competence level of the national athletes,” Ramirez said yesterday from Davao City.
Ramirez, who had served as PSC chairman from 2005 until 2009, is raring to buckle down to work but won’t be able to do so until noontime of June 30 when the new administration is officially ushered in.
“I have strict instructions from the President,” said the 66-year-old Ramirez.
To enable a smooth transition, Ramirez is meeting with outgoing chairman Richie Garcia on Tuesday afternoon.
A similar dialogue with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) leadership is also on tap and Ramirez is upbeat that the PSC won’t have any problems with the POC “as long as we do what is right and respect each other.”
Unlike during his first stint as chairman when Ramirez wasn’t able to call the shots all by himself, he assures everyone that he will lead the PSC using the Duterte principle of action and integrity.
