The rebirth of the Philippine Sports Institute (PSI) has given a renewed hope for the country’s sports program. It is a major undertaking that needed the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to set aside P25 million to fund the project.
Selected regions, including Cebu, will immediately feel its effects through the creation of regional training centers aimed at developing grassroots talents.
“Establishing regional training centers needs manpower. So we will start by putting up 12 spread across the country. We have to sign MOA (memorandum of agreement) with the mayors and governors who are interested in working with us,” said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, who led PSI’s inauguration last Monday at the PSC Multi-Purpose Arena in Pasig City.
Apart from Cebu, the initial areas that were identified by Ramirez set to have training centers are Marawi, Leyte, Baguio, Laoag, Davao del Norte, Samar and Vigan.
Sports officials in Cebu expressed elation with the development.
“The relaunching of PSI is a welcome development. It bodes well for Philippine sports. What I specifically like about it is that the PSI will focus not only in developing elite athletes but will also concentrate on grassroots development, which is also the centerpiece program of the provincial sports commission. I hope we can contribute and participate in their programs and I wish that the young athletes from Cebu Province be beneficiaries of their programs so that we can have new breed of elite athletes from Cebu,” said lawyer Ramil Abing, executive director of the Cebu Provincial Sports Commission.
Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) Chairman Edward Hayco was optimistic that the PSI will be felt and have a trickle-down effect.
“The PSI will have a rippling effect, working through the local sports commission and the local DepEd. Just like our program with coach Philip Dueñas and Joy Tabal in Barangay Guba. We have 100 potential Palaro athletes in the making. Also, our air rifle national coach Miguel Rodriguez now has 100 A-level athletes, same with Architect Don Don Sombrio in archery. His knowledge being an Asian gold medalist is being filtered directly to the grassroots training pool. So we assure PSC, the regional sports institute will ripple and cascade everything that comes from PSI,” Hayco added.
Hayco said the CCSC will support PSI’s goal of developing grassroots talents.
“We will make sure the technology and training will not end up with the elite athletes, but we’ll surround the elite athletes with grassroots training pools, so the special trainings will be filtered down effectively,” said Hayco.