In a privilege speech delivered yesterday, Zubiri lamented the lack of foresight on the part of the PSC and “possible corruption in the PFF and other sports agencies and wrong policies and politics” in the country’s sports program in light of the failed bid to host the game.

Indonesia will be the host of the Philippines-Indonesia match, which Zubiri said was a big disappointment to the Philippine football team or the Azkals and would leave the athletes to fend for themselves in a hostile territory.

“Most important is that it has come to represent the lack of foresight of the PSC,” Zubiri said.

He spared the current PSC leadership but blamed past administrations for lack of foresight on policies.

“It also tells us that our athletes are often left to fend on their own and that, combined with the centralized character of sports development, poor to no funding and lack of a clear policy, spell disaster,” Zubiri said.

Zubiri noted that the requirements set by FIFA for football stadiums in order to be considered for international matches were all easily attainable if the commitment to do this is there, including providing proper funding from the government.

He cited the Panaad Stadium in Negros Occidental, which hosted international games in the past and should have been able to do the same in the ongoing Suzuki Cup.

However, he was told by PSC chairman Richie Garcia that accreditation for this purpose was not granted because the lighting was inadequate and that the field itself was not properly maintained.

“It seems that we are so predisposed to the fact that our football teams cannot win and therefore we need not prepare our stadiums for championships,” Zubiri said.

“That’s a shame as our smaller neighbors like Cambodia and Laos have accredited facilities and we do not have any,” he added.

In fact, the Azkals have made a mark for themselves by registering a major upset in the Suzuki Cup with a 2-0 win over defending champion Vietnam.

Zubiri criticized the disunity in the ranks of the PFF, which is the national sports association for football, as the directors and officers have engaged in a word war where the extreme position called for the replacement of PFF president Jose Mari Martinez.

He said that he would push for a probe into the country’s sports program in general and the use of funds given to the PFF.

Zubiri emphasized that there are funds available for the development of the country’s sports program, including P400 million from the budget of the PSC, P202 million from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. for the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) and a share of the revenue generated by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office from its lotto draws.

“Although they are mandated to do so in their charters, the PCSO and PAGCOR are also part of the problem as they do not accurately remit the amounts due to the PSC for their sports programs,” Zubiri said.

According to Zubiri, the PSC, PAGCOR and PCSO are “embroiled in a conflict regarding the interpretation of the NSDF and the shares that should be remitted by the two revenue-earning bodies, which I believe should also be part of the inquiry.”

Zubiri appealed to President Aquino to stand up and get involved in Philippine sports because “if P-Noy wants it to happen, he can make it happen.”

Marvin Sy, Philippine Star