IN a span of a few days, Patrick “Pato” Gregorio showed his vision and compassion as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission.
A believer in leveraging international meets as a means to boost local tourism, Gregorio had a dialogue with top officials from the International World Games Association at the 12th edition of the quadrennial sports festival for non-Olympic sports in Chengdu, China.
During a courtesy call with the national team chief of mission, Stephen Arapoc, and IWGA executives, led by Spanish IWGA President Jose Perurena Lopez, the PSC chief broached the possibility of the country hosting the 2033 World Games.
He explained that the government sports agency’s mission and core values aligned with that of the World Games, “making the Philippines a perfect and ideal place for this tournament.
“What we can offer are the Games with a heartbeat,” said Gregorio, a former hotelier, in a statement issued from the Sichuan provincial capital, which has drawn close to 4,000 athletes from 118 countries who will be battling for honor, pride, and glory in the sportsfest until this Sunday.
At the same time, keeping to his pledge of prioritizing the needs of athletes, Gregorio was quick to act on the plight of 30th Philippine Southeast Games bemedalled Fil-Am skateboarder Christiana Means, who was in dire need of financial aid to undergo critical knee surgery.
Means, 28, who bagged a gold in the women’s park event and a silver each in the street and Game of Skate events, posted on her official Facebook page that “I need knee surgery and can’t afford it. Please help if you can.”
The comely athlete disclosed that “nine months ago, I tore my meniscus and sprained my MCL skating. I tried everything – rest, physio, rehab – thinking I was healing. Turns out my ACL graft had failed and was slowly tearing the whole time.
“My latest MRI showed no functioning ACL, multiple meniscus tears and ongoing MCL damage… Surgery is no longer optional; it is now critical.”
“I’ve tried to handle it privately and independently for as long as I could but I’ve hit the wall financially and emotionally,” she said.
Gregorio said that he has already instructed PSC officer-in-charge and Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. to extend whatever assistance the PSC can offer while asking Iroy to get in touch with skateboarding head Carl Sambrano to coordinate regarding the athlete’s needs.
“We will extend whatever assistance the PSC can give to Christiana, considering the honor she gave to our country in international play, particularly in the last Philippine SEA Games,” he stressed.
PSC chairman Patrick Gregorio (second from left) shakes hands with International World Games Association president Jose Perurena Lopez of Spain and other IWGA officials during his visit to the 12th World Games in Chengdu, China. With Gregorio is national team chief of mission Stephen Arapoc (fourth from left).
