It is an undeniable fact that Filipinos are talented in sports. Natural talent is seen everywhere, even in the streets, where young people play street basketball and volleyball or skate around back roads and highways. There could be so many more athletes representing the Philippine flag; however, there is a significant lack of facilities and funding for our athletes.
Corruption is a plague the country has been facing for a long time, and it has made its way to sports associations, where officials often prioritize their personal gain over serving “as a prime catalyst and advocate for the propagation and development of Philippine sports,” as taken from the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) mission statement. It would be challenging, if not impossible, for raw Filipino talents to flourish and hone their skills when the sports associations that are supposed to help them achieve the athletes’ dreams have their priorities misplaced.
Several national athletes, including chess Grandmaster Wesley So, have decided to represent a different country instead of the Philippines. So officially became a United States citizen last year, and he said that it is “for a better future, because this is the land of opportunity.” He is the youngest grandmaster of the Philippines, earning this title at only 14 years old. He moved to the US in 2012 to further his career and seek better opportunities the Philippines could not offer him. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t love the Philippines. I have good memories from there. But I did not have the connections I needed in that culture,” he said. “I was from the province, not a city boy. Had no money, etc. I wanted to go further, and there is only one country where a nobody could make it. The USA.”
In the last few months, there was a rift between the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and pole vaulting star EJ Obiena, although both parties have recently reconciled, and Obiena is back on the national team. Ranked no. 5 globally, he is an asset to both the Philippines and Asia as he is also the Asian record holder. PATAFA raised a liquidation issue on Obiena, claiming he committed theft and embezzlement. The allegations have been refuted; however, PATAFA continued its investigation and later shifted its allegations against Obiena from embezzlement to late payments. The pole vaulter admitted to paying his coach late, adding that he is on his own and has to balance competitions, training, and the administrative side of his career.
Earlier this year, PATAFA recommended the immediate expulsion of Obiena from the national team after its investigation concluded that funds were misappropriated, even after Obiena’s team has shown on multiple occasions that all payments and funds have been distributed correctly. To make things worse, Obiena was excluded from this year’s Southeast Asian Games team. PATAFA also refused to endorse the pole vaulter in international competitions, making him miss out on the recently concluded World Athletics Indoor Championships. Given his performance this season, the pole vaulter could have had a stadium finish in the World Indoor Championships.
Included in the mission statement of the PSC is that they will support the “specially talented athletes for high-level competitions,” meaning that they will be endorsing their athletes, providing funding, and most importantly, doing what they can to assist in fulfilling the needs of the national athletes. As an association under the PSC, PATAFA is bound by the same mission statement. However, through the altercation with Obiena, the association did the exact opposite.
There are many ‘what ifs’ that could have been a reality if Filipino athletes were adequately supported by the country. Imagine the household names that could have been if the talent of young kids were developed from the grassroots. By building more sports facilities in the country and prioritizing the creation of an environment to foster and help raw talent turn into something great, more Filipinos would be able to achieve their dreams and represent the Philippine flag. The future of Philippine sports is bright, especially as more Filipino athletes are making their names known worldwide. We may never know just how much talent the country has to offer until changes are made, and Filipino athletes receive the support they deserve from the Philippine government.
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