In sports, the journey from obscurity to excellence is frequently compared to the refinement of a rough diamond into a sparkling gem. Although my column’s title is a cliché, I am not particularly fond of using clichés. However, I am making an exception in this case because it is derived from a quote by Commissioner Edward Hayco of the Philippine Sports Commission, who emphasized that sports talents are discovered at the grassroots level.
Hayco repeated what he said to coaches, tournament managers, and school heads at the National Grassroots Sports Summit Negros Island Leg on April 25 to student-athletes during the inaugural ceremony of the 1st NIPRISAA at the STI West Negros Gym on April 26, Friday. The PSC Commissioner shared the story of how Prof. Elbert “Bong” Atilano was able to “make” a Hidilyn Diaz, the first Olympic Gold Medalist of the Philippines.
Hayco shared with coaches during the sports summit, “Zamboanga was able to secure the first Olympic gold medal. Zamboanga. Why not Metro Manila? All the facilities are there. Because there was an ordinary sports leader who believed he could achieve something extraordinary.”
At the opening ceremony, he urged student-athletes in a jam packed gymnasium to dream big and aim for the gold.
“Yesterday, Sir Mark [Molina] and I conducted a workshop with your sports leaders and coaches. What was the workshop all about? It’s about all of you, athletes of Negros Island. The purpose of the workshop is to put you on a superhighway from PRISAA to the National Sports Association as an athlete, all the way to the Olympics. Don’t think that PRISAA, Batang Pinoy, or Palarong Pambansa are the end for you. PRISAA is your jumping board, your launching pad to the Olympics. Where did Hidilyn Diaz, the first Olympic Gold Medalist of the Philippines, come from? She came from a small barangay in Zamboanga. You too can reach the Olympics through PRISAA,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya commended Dr. Ryan Mark Molina, second Vice President of the National PRISAA and the 12 pioneering members of the 1st NIPRISAA for spearheading the social crusade in strengthening the sports program at the grassroots level and putting Negros Island on the national sports map.
“Education is not limited to the four corners of our classrooms. Often, the experiences we never forget are on the basketball court, volleyball court, swimming pool, and other sports areas. So, PRISAA is not new to Bacolod, to Negros, because I think, more than 20 years ago, we also hosted the National PRISAA. But right now, this is a very memorable and historic event because finally, we have the Negros Island PRISAA. I would like to commend everyone for uniting all the private schools in Negros Island to bring sports competition between and among schools to a higher level,” said Rep. Gasataya, who assures NIPRISAA of the Congressional Office’s full support in all its endeavors.
Aside from STIWNU, the pioneering members of the 1st NIPRISAA are the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R), University of St. La Salle Bacolod (USLS), La Consolacion College Bacolod (LCC), Colegio San Agustin Bacolod (CSA-B), Southland College Kabankalan, Foundation University Dumaguete, John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, North Negros College, VMA Global College, Colegio de Santa Catalina de Alejandria (COSCA) Dumaguete, and Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias.
After the official opening of the 1st NIPRISAA Games was declared, the crowd was treated to a visual spectacle. It featured cheerleaders with flyers, fancy drill teams, MassKara Festival dancers, and performers embedded in the audience. They flashed the colors of the Philippine Flag, which served as the backdrop for all performers on the basketball court. The highlight of the production was a color puzzle finally revealing the NIPRISAA logo.
The cultural competition and sports events, such as men’s basketball which was held, commenced on Friday afternoon right after the opening ceremonies.
With the creation of NIPRISAA, we look forward to discovering “diamonds” at the grassroots level that will bring pride and honor to the country. They will inspire future sports aspirants who will not only put the name of the Philippines but also their hometowns on the international sports map – the country’s future diamonds in the rough.*
