President Benigno Aquino III yesterday said he and the rest of the Filipino people congratulate the Philippine Azkals for winning the first leg of their prequalifier match versus Mongolia in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup at the Panaad Sports Stadium in Bacolod City Wednesday night.

“I am grateful to you for bringing pride and honor to Filipinos the world over,” Aquino told the Azkals.

The Azkals won 2-0 over Mongolia with the winning goals delivered by Chieffy Caligdong and Phil Younghusband.

“Your two goals showcased both Filipino creativity and the hard work you put in to master your sport. You brought our people together, and reminded us once again that, united, we can reclaim our nation’s glory,” the president said.

“We look forward to cheering you on toward more triumphs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was at the game, said he wishes the president was at the Panaad Wednesday night because he would have seen the enthusiasm of the crowd and that football is truly a popular sport in the Philippines.

The president’s help for sports as a whole is needed, the country’s sports program lacks funding, Zubiri said.

Zubiri said he is calling on the president to direct the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to allocate 5 percent of its gross income and not its net income for sports.

This would increase the allocation for sports to P1 billion annually instead of close to the P500 million PAGCOR is currently allocating, he added.

It is very clear in the law creating PAGCOR that it should allocate 5 percent of gross and not net income for sports, Zubiri said.

During the time of President Corazon Aquino she gave the 5 percent gross income share to sports,  but this was changed to net earnings in the time of President Fidel Ramos, Zubiri said.

“Allocating net and not gross earnings is illegal and unconstitutional,” he added.

If the President does not allocate the 5 percent gross income, Zubiri said he and other sports advocates will file a petition before the Supreme Court in March for it to order its allocation.

He said the country’s sports officials cannot be blamed if Philippine athletes perform poorly internationally because they lack funding for proper training.

It is important to provide more funding for sports, because it brings people together and fosters national unity.

“If we have a good sports program the people will be united under one flag and nation. It will be the pride of the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zubiri said the people should give Aquino a chance to turn the country around.

On a scale of 10, Zubiri said he will give the president a seven.

But the president could do more with his fantastic mandate from the people and high trust rating, he added.

“I hope he works harder, and becomes more hands on, because the country has so many problems,” Zubiri added.*CPG

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