The problem with Philippine Sports: A decade (From 2012-2022)

Philippine Sports has been the life and blood of Filipinos. From the world-renowned
boxing, our traditional arnis, the all-time favorite, basketball, and so much more. But flip the
coin, and everything will look different. The world of Philippine sports is rusty and decaying.
Not pertaining to the athletes, of course, because they are great. But the environment they exist
in? Might actually be more harmful than helpful for them. How so? These athletes are only
recognized when winning and most of the time, even though achieving great things, remain
underappreciated. The never-ending issues with funding, and the questionable sportsmanship of
Filipino fans. 

Beyond Philippine Sports as a source of entertainment, amusement, and a source of

glorious victories are athletes who started with a dream. A group of people who are sincerely
passionate about what they are doing. Who had sleepless nights and sacrificed their youth to
train? To build a mind and body that can compete against hundreds of competitors from all
around the world.

Try to remember what happened in the world of Philippine Sports ten years ago. Either
you remembered nothing or you remembered how Manny Pacquiao got knocked out by Juan
Manuel Márquez IV in the 6th round of their fight. No one reminisced about how Frankie
Miñoza graced Japan and won the Senior Open golf championship. By the following year, what
do you recall? Again, either nothing or how the entire nation is celebrating the comeback of
Manny Pacquiao from his two losses by winning a match with a younger opponent, Brandon
Rios. 

I would like to clarify that the point of this comparison is not to undermine Pacquiao's
success, nor have the desire to remove him from the spotlight. But it encourages other names to
be recognized and be given the same platform, appreciation, and gratitude because these athletes
spent their youth and competed against more or less 194 countries. They gave equal glory to this
country. 

Last November 24, the Philippines was in a state of shock after finding out that our
young 6th Eastern Asia Youth Chess champion slept in the airport for three days due to budget
issues. It is a given that the Philippines is a third-world country and is recovering from its 12.03
trillion. However, it's our country’s duty to provide for these athletes who compete in the name
of our country. The saddest thing is that their achievement is our achievement, but the suffering
and sacrifices through the journey are only known and survived by them. The average personal
income tax rate of the Philippines is expected to be around 35% by the end of 2022. How
expensive are the hotel rates in Bangkok?

Another slump in the nation’s sport is Filipinos’ questionable fair play and integrity. We
are all aware that once the darling athlete of Filipino fans loses, they will immediately assume
that the opponent cheated, or the judges favored somebody else. Acceptance is one of the
hardings things for Filipinos. How many more years should pass before we realize that losing is
part of the game?

In a recent WBC interview, Referee Carlos Padilla Jr. admits cheating twice to aid
Manny Pacquiao in his fight against Australian Nedal Hussein in Ynares Sports Center, Antipolo
City, in the year 2000. How dirty is Filipino Pride? And above all, after this, how shattered is the
Filipino Sports community’s integrity? It was never Pacquiao’s fault. He did not ask to be aided,
nor was he aware of it during the fight. It was all Referee Padilla Jr. In his interview, he
mentioned, “I’m Filipino and everybody watching the fight is Filipino, so I prolonged the count.”
Shortly, Pacquiao released a statement saying he did not cheat and did only what he needed to as
a boxer. 

But the issue really goes beyond that because Hussein, an athlete who fought fair and
square, was robbed of fairness. He flew from Australia to give his best and returned to his home
country, thinking he had failed to win. But a Filipino failed to face reality and accept possible
defeat. Being in the home court should never be an advantage to implementing favoring rules.

Underappreciated, lack of funding, and unadmirable sportsmanship are the major

problems in the past years. It was a decade, and it was recurring. It is disappointing that we all
have this technological advancement but cannot keep up when it’s about growing as a person. 

Recognition must be given equally, and athletes should not only be known when they
win. The Philippines must take good care of them from the very beginning of the journey.
Having a seat in the government is not a pleasure, it is a responsibility to take care of everyone.
Athletes should not be sleeping in airports. And for the people; acceptance, honesty, and
integrity are important moral values Filipinos should gain. We must not create problems for the
athletes who only aim to give glory to our country. Let’s not make their life a living hell.
Suffering should not be part of their journey.