To help the Philippines regain its glory as a sports power in Asia. To be recognized as a progressive country through sports and to show the world, “Yes, the Filipino can!”

One of the most overlooked aspects of our country’s development is our sports programs. With most of government budgets allotted to defense,  education and infrastructure, sports has usually taken a backseat in favor of “more important” matters. With the recent success of Manny Pacquiao in the boxing world, Paeng Nepomuceno’s renown as one of the greatest bowlers of all-time and the ageless Efren “Bata” Reyes once again copping another title this year, sports is becoming more and more a passion, if not a necessity in inspiring the Filipino to strive hard for a better life, and a better country.

However, the glory days of Philippine sports went into a coma after the dissolution of Gintong Alay; perhaps one of the most important programs during the term of the late former president Ferdinand Marcos.

There have been many efforts to revive the days of Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros, Eric Buhain, and countless others who have sacrificed so much to bring honor to their beloved country through sports. But there have also been countless others who have given the same efforts but have been forgotten by an unappreciative Filipino population who only look at the heroes of today. Had there been an organization that assured their legacy and rewarded them for their struggles in their attempts to uplift the Philippines, many of tem would not have to resort to leaving their calling to support their families. Many athletes who braved the trials of training, leaving their families for long periods of time, were no longer considered important after failing to produce what was heavily expected of them.

One of the goals of the PBA Partylist is to ensure the legacy of the Filipino athlete; to make being an athlete rewarding; to make being an athlete once again an honor.

The PBA Partylist aims to create a future for the Filipino athlete and their families by one day ensuring that all athletes are assured homes, sustainable post-retirement incomes, recognition and visibility in the sports community and education for their children. Not all athletes can be as successful as the Pacquiaos, Nepomucenos and Reyeses of the Philippines, but all athletes can become vital members of society so long as they are given the opportunities and rewards for all the hard work they put in. All these athletes have to do is be the best athlete they can be, the rest will be taken cared of. This being the scenario, the Filipino athlete will have to be on top of their game at all times, thus giving the Philippines better chances to achieve accolades in international competition, be a venue for other countries to train their athletes in and place the Philippines back on the map as a country whose sports programs and youth development are models for other nations to follow.

The discovery, development and deployment (DDD) of these athletes begins at the formative level—the stage of youth. Many countries have already began “manufacturing” athletes by seeking out gifted and exceptional children from provinces, and making them live, eat and breathe sports until they are worthy enough to compete. China, Germany and Russia have been the most notable in this and the results show during international sports meets. Their programs are designed to work with athletes as children by practically taking them apart and turning them into competition machines by their teen-age years.

That practice may be tabooed in the Philippines owing to the culture of the nation, but these can still be achieved in baby steps once the DDD Program is implemented. The population of the Philippines is rapidly increasing and with that comes more opportunities to develop future athletes.

Early education on the benefits of sports will create more awareness of living a healthy and active lifestyle away from the known vices that corrupt much to the Filipino youth nowadays. Starting sports education and sports development in the youth at the most formative stages lessens the chances of the next generation becoming susceptible to illegal drugs, alcohol and other life-threatening choices.

A drug-free youth will also help ensure a drug-free Philippines in the very near future.

The quest for the illusive Olympic Gold Medal has been the bane of many sports leaders in the country. The last medal we won at the Olympiad was in 1996 when Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco “settled” for his silver medal in boxing during the 1996 Atlanta games. Approaching the 2012 Olympiad in London, the Filipinos refer to this losing tradition as another reason to divert funding for sports and put government spending into more “useful” maters.

The PBA Partylist shares in the excitement of the gold hunt, but can become a factor into making this a reality by making sure the Filipino athlete just concentrates on being the Filipino athlete that knows excellence, discipline and the Filipino heart. The optimism is immense in that if the Filipino athlete is not distracted by maters of feeding his family, putting his children through school and dealing with matters that only make his focus wane, the Filipino athlete will achieve what many think is an improbable gold medal goal. The PBA Partylist will help make sure that all external factors will not hinder the athlete. The PBA Partylist will always be there for the Filipino athlete, in triumph and in defeat.

Within this term, the PBA Partylist will strive to create:

The PBA Partylist will be the voice of the athletes in the lawmaking arena of Philippines.
It is time their voices are heard. It is time their country represents them. It is time.