“WE ARE not ready for this. We have failed to invest on human resources to man the Department of Sports.”
This was the reaction of former Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Perry Mequi after the House of Representatives through the committees on government reorganization, and youth and sports development created a technical working group for the creation of a Department of Sports, which will eventually abolish the PSC, transferring its power and functions as well as its assets to the new agency.
“Where will you get the professionally trained, competent and experienced people to staff the department? The Philippines lack academicians, scholars, researchers, technocrats, scientists, leaders and managers with vision who will man the department because it failed to invest in the education of these professionals,” Mequi said.
The former PSC chief said that China and other countries have universities and colleges for physical education and sports which trains the people who will man the sports programs.
“What do the Philippines have? How many Filipinos graduates of advanced degrees in physical education and sports?” he asked.
Instead of creating the Department of Sports, Mequi said that it’s more rational and cost-saving if lawmakers instead file a bill which will strengthen the existing PSC by creating plantilla positions for regional offices like other existing commissions.
“Wouldn’t it be more rational to amend Republic Act 6847 instead to strengthen the agency and provide it with regional offices to sustain its current thrust focused on grassroots sports?
Mequi added that the priority concern of government is not to create a Department of Sports, but to improve Physical Education, which is the foundation of sports participation that nurtures a culture of lifetime participatory sports and sporting excellence as enshrined in the Philippines Constitution.
