Dickie Bachmann to sit down with SMC, MVP Group after FIBA WC

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—Philippine Sports Commission chairman Dickie Bachmann looks to continue the partnership with the San Miguel Corporation and Manny Pangilinan's investment group beyond the FIBA World Cup.

Bachmann, also the chairman of the inter-agency task force for the World Cup hosting, said on Tuesday that he plans to meet both groups to discuss how they can help the PSC in growing 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 at the PSC Conference Room inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Asked about what to expect in the said meeting, Bachmann said that he will try to persuade the two groups to invest in improving the PSC-operated sports facilities like the said complex here.

"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," Bachmann further said.

One request he could do to the MVP Group, according to him, is to provide an internet connection to the RMSC.

"This can actually be Rizal Memorial Powered by Smart," Bachmann further said, citing how the internet connection is stable at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas.

He added that he also wants to improve the athletes' communication with their respective national sports association's higher-ups and their families—especially those who are staying inside RMSC—by providing stable internet.

The planned meeting between Bachmann and the representatives from both 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.

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