THERE was this interesting report yesterday that Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino III has not joined 41 other governors who have signed a statement backing the vice-presidential bid of President Duterte.
What is the significance of this development to us in sports? Well, one of the direct beneficiaries of this move is Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who has severed ties with Duterte and seems to be dead set in running for a higher position in next year’s national polls.
There are other personalities who will also benefit, among them Senators Panfilo Lacson and Tito Sotto, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.
Moreno? The former scavenger-turned-actor-turned politician has been endorsed by former Transport Usec Thomas “Tim” Orbos to run for president in 2022. Orbos, a political ally of Espino, is the lead convenor of Ikaw Muna Pilipinas, a political movement backing Moreno’s possible presidential bid.
In the last presidential elections in 2016, Pangasinan — composed of 44 municipalities and four cities — delivered the third biggest number of votes among the country’s 81 provinces, next only to Cebu and Laguna. How many votes has Duterte lost?
We in sports love a good fight and, at the rate things are going, we will soon see a battle royale between the presidential bet of Duterte — Sara? — and the other contenders.
Moreno seems to have jumped the gun on the rest, however. Consider this: Political leaders of the Ikaw Muna Pilipinas movement in Cagayan Valley believe Moreno is the right guy to lead the country.
Orbos, in a series of consultations recently with Cagayan Valley leaders, painted Moreno as the leader needed by the country, saying in a virtual message: “It’s not about believing in him, although I believe in him. It’s more of how he made us believe in ourselves, how he made Manileños believe in themselves that they can overcome. That’s very important especially at this time when we do not know where the road will lead us.”
Orbos also underscored that Moreno has been effective and efficient in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
We would love to hear what Moreno and the rest have to say about sports. Do they have what it takes?
We in sports are a lucky lot because the guys manning the Philippine Sports Commission are, as they say in the vernacular, “malapit sa kusina.”
Otherwise, our athletes may be down there in the pits, in the company of, among others, our dear teachers and healthcare workers, forgotten and buried, as people appointed by the administration to sensitive positions raid the national coffers.
Thanks largely to PSC chief Butch Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, our athletes, led by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial, made us doubly proud in the Tokyo Olympics.
We can only hope that whoever gets to be appointed to the PSC in 2022 would continue the programs put in place by the agency to boost our chances of winning medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yeah, boost. The latest development in Pangasinan is a big boost to the contenders, except you know who.
