By Jerome Galunan Jr.
Director to the FIFA Marketing and Television Committee, Monico Puentevella, yesterday reacted to reports the Philippine Sports Commission will be scouting for Fil-Spanish athletes who could don the country’s colors in future competitions like the forthcoming Southeast Asian Games at the end of this year.
“This is our problem with our sports now in the Philippines. We are leaning more on getting Fil-Ams for basketball and Fil-Euros for football and other sports. If only for the medals, I have no problem with that. But this will deprive our homegrown talents from getting into the national teams,” Puentevella emphasized.
Puentevella has served as PSC Commissioner in 1994 to 2000 where he headed the agency’s grassroots development program.
“We should prioritize our grass roots program while temporarily getting into this arrangement with Spain or other countries,” he said. “Look at the other Asian countries like Korea and China and you can see what I mean,” he added.
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You have a big point there Mr. Puentevilla...
ReplyDeleteForeign based Filipino athletes are going to be part of sport for a long time to come. Under Philippines law they are as Filipino as citizens born, raised, and living full time in the country. As long as Filipinos leave the islands to seek oppurtunities elsewhere there will be Filipinos who have grown up with superior coaching, nutrition, facilities, and competition overseas. Most Filipinos who grow up overseas are taller than their uncles and parents and that includes the girls. I wish every child growing up had access to sport and a nutritious diet in the Philippines. These are social and development issues that go far beyond what our sports organizations can solve.
ReplyDeletebut still if you want to build a good sport development in the country dont look elsewhere instead revamp the infrastructure of sports development. Especially to youth program. Why not copy and improve the sport program of Marcos the bagong Lipunan. Looking outside is not a concrete solution.
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