TO get a master plan for Philippine sports going in the right direction, the Philippine Sports Commission needs to go back to square one.
Former Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Philip Ella Juico said this as he and educator Aparicio Mequi are set to lend their expertise when they speak before sports leaders and stakeholders during a two-day gathering set from Sept. 1 and 2 at the Cachina Room of the Sheraton Hotel in P. Ocampo St., Malate, Manila.
“Start at the end by revisiting the PSC vision and mission which, if I may note, seems not to have undergone any major and substantive change since it was formulated in 1995, shortly after our assumption into office,” said Juico, who was chairman of the PSC from 1996 to 1998.
Juico, now president of a national sports association involved in the development of track and field in the country, said it will be his role to help crystallize issues in line with updating the Master Plan for Philippine Sports crafted from 1996 to 2000. Peter Atencio
His presence will at the gathering is also in connection with the resuscitation of the Philippine Institute of Sports (PHILSPORTS), and was later renamed Philippine Sports Institute.
Juico added that there was an existing master plan that was passed on to succeeding PSC administrations and which now needs to be updated.
But, it was shelved by immediately succeeding PSC administrations except for an attempt to revive it sometime in 2005,
“The PSC Strategic Plan 1996 – 2000 is a sound document. The Sector Plan is comprehensive and achievable, And if I may add, it is achievable if one exercises political maturity and will to implement a plan produced earlier and which is made available for hard (and even harsh) scrutiny if only to maximize use of time and talent,” said Juico.
He said this not the first time such a meeting was convened.
There was a workshop which tool place on May 1995, and the forum conducted a situational analysis by assessing the status of Philippine sports and surfaced a range of issues and concerns.
“The ultimate aim of sports development is to facilitate the participation of all Filipinos in sports and wellness activities while providing opportunities for specially gifted and talented athletes to achieve their maximum potential,” said Juico.