Fair Play: Words we've yet to hear from candidates


OFFICIALLY, the campaign season for local bets haven’t started but in the Philippines, there’s no distinction between the unofficial and official campaign season.

PJ Padajun Jud Garcia is doing his thing, so is Junjun Davide. The same holds true for their representatives in the radio booths. That’s the case, too, for Mayor Mike Rama and Rep. Tom Osmena.



And I’ve been listening to their tirades over the radio--I’m an AM, not FM, kind of guy--and it’s always the same recycled issues over and over again.

I still haven’t heard anything related to sports. Sure, you don’t elect an individual solely for his sports program, but wouldn’t it be nice to know that your leader also knows other things aside from saying the other guy doesn’t know anything?

Besides, having a successful sports program shows foresight, planning and other skills a leader needs.

As for PJ and Junjun, or even for vice-gubernationaral candidates Agnes Magpale, Buboy Durano and Glen Soco, if there’s one thing I want to hear them say it’s this--what do they intend to do with the Gov. Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup if they win?

If PJ wins, he’ll probably resume it. If Glenn wins, I’m sure he’ll support the tournament because he was there when this whole thing started. But what about Davide and Magpale?

You can say a lot of things about Gwen and her penchant for having her name all over the place, but the Gov. Gwen Garcia Unity Volleyball Cup is one of the best things to happen to Cebu sports.

It is ironic that the tournament was hatched to unite Cebu, which faced the threat of having it carved into three provinces, and ended in the era when Cebu had two
governors.

Aside from being the only tournament of its kind in the Philippines, what the GUV Cup has done is give players from far-flung towns a chance to be discovered and get scholarship offers. That’s why you have players from Catmon, who are now shining for Manila schools, thanks to their stints in the GUV Cup. And then there are those players who got college scholarships in Cebu because they were discovered in the GUV Cup.

I really hope, whoever wins will continue the tournament. Perhaps, they can just rename it to the Governor’s Cup, to institutionalize it.

In Cebu City, the best thing that ever happened is Ed Hayco, whose sports program has been adopted by the Philippine Sports Commission as the blueprint for a genuine grassroots program. And the biggest question is, what happens to Ed’s programs after the local elections?

That’s the one thing I want to hear from Mike and Tom--and their mouthpieces who are battling over simple things like statues, who sings better or even, who has better looks.

What we have is the envy of all LGUs, whose grassroots programs are limited to the giving of uniforms and basketball boards.

Sir Ed is in the middle of another grassroots educational campaign, that is aimed to break a world record in November and to discover a potential Olympian for the Philippines. Your average sports commission head won’t even consider this and take a look at what CCSC is doing.

Archery equipment is very expensive, but they found a way over that, using PVC pipes as improvised bows.

And all of this stemmed from a conversation Ed had with Dondon Sombrio, himself a success story of how sports can change one’s life, last December?

So, what happens to this program after the May elections?

I hope it will be continued, no matter who sits at City Hall.

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