Fair Play: Chester Cokaliong for RP football president
I AM nominating Chester Cokaliong to be the next president of the Philippine Football Federation.
Yep, Cokaliong the basketball guy as RP football’s next head.
Preposterous? Crazy? Stupid? Positively outrageous (with that English accent?)
Call my idea anything you like but it is what RP football needs, having a guy like Chester Cokaliong in charge of its affairs.
Not that I’ll-resign-if-I-can’t-make-football-RP’s-No.2-sport-in-six-months kind of guy like Mari Martinez, who is still the president 30 months after failing to make football RP’s no. 2 sport.
Why Chester?
Why not Chester? Look at the Cebu Eastern College Dragons for proof. Last year, they were so bad they put the “inks” in “stinks.” One headline even screamed, “World record sa Cesafi,” after their 155-point loss to the University of the Visayas.
Stinks, right? Not anymore.
For sure, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles (wheeew, preeeetty long name we got here) isn’t the Ateneo Blue Eagles, but they’re no pushovers either.
And last year, the Dragons lost, 104-48, to the team who was delightfully called by the shorter name, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits.
This year, the Dragons won, 87-70, and it was such a surprise I thought it was a typo when I first read the text message reporting the result.
Yes you may say one game doesn’t a season make but the Dragons’ turnaround happened in one year. One friggin’ year.
The last Cesafi doormat I remember, the USC Warriors, struggled so long to shed its tag. Sure, the Warriors didn’t lose by 100, but they weren’t winning games, either.
I think it took them five years to win their first game in the Cesafi—more if you count their losing streak in the CAAA.
The Dragons have Cokaliong, the future PFF president, to thank.
Cokaliong, whose name is synonymous to alumni leagues success, inevitably got dragged when the Dragons started “inking” “stinking.”
And since the three-point artist hadn’t met a challenge he didn’t like, he took it on, head on.
A few calls to the alumni and a P2-million war chest was raised, a program, which included academics, was put in place.
Recruitment, too, became a priority. Last year, months after the tough season, the program was launched. CEC announced its goal would be modest this year--basically to not stink too much.
After the first game last Saturday, I think a slot in the finals wouldn’t be too far-fetched for these Dragons.
Of course, the credit should also be given to the players—both last year’s and this year’s. Had last year’s team packed up and said, “We can’t take it anymore,” nobody would have blamed them but there would be no new team to bankroll, no targets to set.
Last year, I paid attention to CEC games because I wanted to know if it could set a new low, maybe a 200-point loss? At that time, it didn’t sound impossible.
This year, I’d be keeping my eyes on them, because I have this gut feeling that in the 10th Cesafi season, fans won’t be talking about the team that finally ended the UV Green Lancers’ stranglehold of the collegiate title, they will be talking about that darn team that dared to dream.
Now, back to Cokaliong’s impending PFF president candidacy. The PFF got so good at doing nothing, it’s making Juan Tamad, Employee of the Year material.
That’s how much it stinks.
Now if only the PFF officials can be as embarrassed as Chester was with CEC’s failure as they would with theirs, we’d be singing praises to Martinez et al.
But alas that’s not the case and—I would have bet the PFF’s millions against this last year—the CEC will win its first Cesafi title before we will see some transparency in the PFF.
Unless, of course, Chester becomes its president.
Yep, Cokaliong the basketball guy as RP football’s next head.
Preposterous? Crazy? Stupid? Positively outrageous (with that English accent?)
Call my idea anything you like but it is what RP football needs, having a guy like Chester Cokaliong in charge of its affairs.
Not that I’ll-resign-if-I-can’t-make-football-RP’s-No.2-sport-in-six-months kind of guy like Mari Martinez, who is still the president 30 months after failing to make football RP’s no. 2 sport.
Why Chester?
Why not Chester? Look at the Cebu Eastern College Dragons for proof. Last year, they were so bad they put the “inks” in “stinks.” One headline even screamed, “World record sa Cesafi,” after their 155-point loss to the University of the Visayas.
Stinks, right? Not anymore.
For sure, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles (wheeew, preeeetty long name we got here) isn’t the Ateneo Blue Eagles, but they’re no pushovers either.
And last year, the Dragons lost, 104-48, to the team who was delightfully called by the shorter name, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits.
This year, the Dragons won, 87-70, and it was such a surprise I thought it was a typo when I first read the text message reporting the result.
Yes you may say one game doesn’t a season make but the Dragons’ turnaround happened in one year. One friggin’ year.
The last Cesafi doormat I remember, the USC Warriors, struggled so long to shed its tag. Sure, the Warriors didn’t lose by 100, but they weren’t winning games, either.
I think it took them five years to win their first game in the Cesafi—more if you count their losing streak in the CAAA.
The Dragons have Cokaliong, the future PFF president, to thank.
Cokaliong, whose name is synonymous to alumni leagues success, inevitably got dragged when the Dragons started “inking” “stinking.”
And since the three-point artist hadn’t met a challenge he didn’t like, he took it on, head on.
A few calls to the alumni and a P2-million war chest was raised, a program, which included academics, was put in place.
Recruitment, too, became a priority. Last year, months after the tough season, the program was launched. CEC announced its goal would be modest this year--basically to not stink too much.
After the first game last Saturday, I think a slot in the finals wouldn’t be too far-fetched for these Dragons.
Of course, the credit should also be given to the players—both last year’s and this year’s. Had last year’s team packed up and said, “We can’t take it anymore,” nobody would have blamed them but there would be no new team to bankroll, no targets to set.
Last year, I paid attention to CEC games because I wanted to know if it could set a new low, maybe a 200-point loss? At that time, it didn’t sound impossible.
This year, I’d be keeping my eyes on them, because I have this gut feeling that in the 10th Cesafi season, fans won’t be talking about the team that finally ended the UV Green Lancers’ stranglehold of the collegiate title, they will be talking about that darn team that dared to dream.
Now, back to Cokaliong’s impending PFF president candidacy. The PFF got so good at doing nothing, it’s making Juan Tamad, Employee of the Year material.
That’s how much it stinks.
Now if only the PFF officials can be as embarrassed as Chester was with CEC’s failure as they would with theirs, we’d be singing praises to Martinez et al.
But alas that’s not the case and—I would have bet the PFF’s millions against this last year—the CEC will win its first Cesafi title before we will see some transparency in the PFF.
Unless, of course, Chester becomes its president.
Comments
Your suggestion of Chester as President of PFF has merit. Like you said he took on the biggest challenge in Philippine basketball and already has results. The challenge for the I’ll-resign-if-I-can’t-make-football-RP’s-No.2-sport-in-six-months president was to live up to his words. He has failed miserably but like a "good"??? politician he can turn the numbers around mix it with hocus pocus and come up smelling like roses.
But to the tao that can see through the mumbo jumbo he needs to be removed and find someone else who will have an agenda of moving Phil football forward. They dont have to make football number 2. They just have to give football credibility in the eyes of the nation and everything else will take of itself
However,although we are waiting for the right time to make the move on Mr. Cokaliong for that plan,Here you are with the very good idea of having Chester Cokaliong to be the president of the PFF,well, congratulations because with the kind of leadership Football is having now,your idea will surely be a sellout and i think if it is possible for Cokaliong to have a nomination in the PFF congress why dont we start the plan as early as now,no offense to the present leadership of your FA.We from Surigao will surely campaign for him in Mindanao,dako gyud kaayo ang chance nga mo asenso sad ang PILIPINAS ining duwa a oi.