BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Butch Ramirez believes that Philippine sports, as with life, will take a dramatic shift once the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is finally contained.
“I believe that the ‘normal’ will no longer exist,” said Ramirez. “It will change our behavior and directions as we move forward.”
One direction that Ramirez is more concerned is the government sports agency’s programs for its elite and pool athletes.
“First, we will assess if NSDF (National Sports Developmental Fund) is still available for the continuity of the Elite Athlete Programs and the Philippine Sports Institute propagating Grassroots Sports Program,” he said.
NSDF comes from cash-rich government corporations like the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and is allocated to more than 50 national sports associations composed of athletes and coaches for their training and competition requirements.
But with government casinos closed due to the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) since mid-March, it would be tough for PSC to pick up where it left off.
At the moment, the agency is still providing monthly allowances to its athletes and coaches.
But with a depleting budget, the PSC officials are looking at contingency plans like putting athletes and coaches under an amelioration program.
Meanwhile, Ramirez hopes that the current situation will help toughen up athletes and coaches in many ways, especially mentally.
“I have a dream that Filipino athletes will focus on virtues than medals, trophies and material things. This crisis gave us great opportunity to discern our relationship to your God, family and ourselves in the imperfect world we are living,” he said.
Ramirez said he’s getting insights from “little readings” on books about the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Enlightenment, Contemporary Philosophies and the Oriental Philosophies, curious about “what happened those times when they have medical and political upheavals in comparison to this latest virus crisis.”
“Historically, (I’m reading about the) series of plagues in Europe during the colonial time, Europeans who conquers the Aztecs, the Incas… these natives wiped out by the colonist virus… Bubonic virus, European flu, African Ebola, Asian SARS, Avian flu…”
He learned that “rich and poor countries must place the medical requirement as a priority, then strengthen agricultural industry, and third, the vitality of education for our effective survival against ignorance.”