PRIVATE PARTNERS. Philippine Sports Commission chair Richard Bachmann discusses plans and programs during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the PSC Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday (April 18, 2023). Bachmann plans to meet with officials of San Miguel Corporation and Manny V. Pangilinan investment group right after the FIBA World Cup in September. (PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.)
MANILA – Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairperson Richard Bachmann plans to meet with officials of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and Manny V. Pangilinan's (MVP) investment group right after the FIBA World Cup in September.
Bachmann, also the chair of the inter-agency task force for the World Cup hosting, said he wants to discuss what other contributions the two conglomerates could give to grow Philippine sports in general.
"I'm just waiting for the FIBA World Cup to finish, and then I will sit down with the MVP group and San Miguel group to help the PSC also," Bachmann said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at the PSC Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC).
Bachmann said he will try to persuade the two groups to invest in improving PSC-operated sports facilities like the RMSC.
"Basically, it's to help in funding for the facilities and to help the government also. It's basically to tap the private sector to help out and fix the facilities and other sports," he said.
He said he would request the MVP Group to provide an internet connection to the RMSC.
"This can actually be Rizal Memorial Powered by Smart," Bachmann further said, citing the stable internet connection at New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac.
He said athletes' communication with their national sports association and their families will improve with a reliable internet provider.
The planned meeting between Bachmann and the representatives from the SMC and the MVP group comes at a very opportune time as the Philippines remembers 100 years of international sports recognition.
This year marks a full century since Pancho Villa became the first Filipino world sports champion in boxing, while next year marks the centennial of the Philippines' participation in the Summer Olympics.
The Philippines will co-host the FIBA World Cup with Japan and Indonesia from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10. (PNA)
