FORMER pro player and ex-Alaska team manager Richard “Dickie” Bachmann is expected to report today in his first day of office as the new Philippine Sports Commission chairman, beginning with the weekly the flag-raising ceremony in front of the PSC administration building at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Expected to join Bachmann during the rites are newly-appointed Commissioners Walter Torres and Cebu-based Edward Lim Hayco, who were sworn into office last week at the Palace by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
It’s uncertain if Bachmann’s predecessor, Noli Eala, would be present to formally hand over the reins of the government sports agency, similar to what Butch Ramirez did last July 2022 to Eala before formally stepping down as PSC chairman.
In a move that caught many, including Eala, by surprise, Bachmann was appointed by Malacañang as the 11th chairman of the government sports agency last Dec. 23.
The appointment papers of Torres, a former national fencer, and Hayco, a former Cebu City Sports Commission chairman, were also issued last Dec. 23.
A knowledgeable source claimed that Eala was unaware that he was being replaced, although there were reports (not in Malaya-Business Insight) that the Palace had plans of appointing a new chairman just six months after the former sportscaster and PBA commissioner took the job.
“An aide of Eala went to Malacañang last week to distribute Christmas gifts from the chairman office and asked around but could not get a definitive answer,” the source said. “Chairman Eala was left in the dark.”
The source said Eala’s office had planned to hold a Christmas party last Dec. 28, which turned out to be a “despedida” instead.
Eala issued a statement on his twitter account last Dec. 28, saying: “My brief stint in the PSC gave me an opportunity to once again serve with passion in a field I hold close to my heart.
“With all humility, I can say that I gave dignity and respect to the position of Chairman and worked tirelessly for Philippine sports.
“I wish to thank President Bongbong Marcos for affording me the chance to help Philippine sports rise to greater heights. I serve under the pleasure of the President and I fully respect his decision. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our sports leaders who gave their unwavering support. I wish the new chairman of the PSC all the best. As I leave, I am at peace knowing that in the months I served, I cared for our athletes and Philippine sports like no other.”
Eala had grand plans for Philippine sports, including tweaking Project: Gintong Alay, the successful sports program in the late 1980s under former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., and renaming it “Duyan ng Magiting” or “Cradle of the Brave.”
During Eala’s brief term as PSC honcho, the Batang Pinoy National Championships, the PSC’s flagship grassroots project, was revived and was held virtually and face-to-face from Dec. 17 to 21 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
In his last official act as head of the PSC, Eala signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Commission on Higher Education last Dec. 23 for the staging of the 2023 Philippine Reserve Officer Training Corps Games at Camp Aguinaldo.
