1st Imus Sports Summit

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Imus Sports Summit 2008

The Office of the Mayor of Imus, thru it’s Sports Director Mr. Shernan Jaro and consultants Mr. Danny Romero and Mr. Joey San Juan has organized the first ever 2 day Sports Summit for the town of Imus Cavite. The aim of the said summit is to establish the Imus Sports Council officially thru the gathering of SK Council leaders, Baranggay Leaders, state and privately funded school sports officials and Sports unit heads and members.

Imus Institute is graciously hosting the event at the open gymnasium along the Nueno avenue, fronting Imus Pilot Elementary school. This well planned, well-organized timely event is an important milestone for the town of Imus for so many reasons. First on the list is the first and only town in Cavite that has launched an event to gather all sports personalities in town and create a roadmap to sports excellence is Imus.

Looking at the summit program, I am awed by the fact that sports management at the grassroots level is a tough job. Look at the following Topic lectures in line for the 2-day summit:

1. Lecture 1: Planning in Sports
Environmental Scanning: Development Challenges and Issues affecting sports in Imus
Formulation of Vision and Mission Statements
Priority Action Agenda (Policies, Programs and other Strategic Options)

2. Lecture 2: Fitness for Sedentary Individuals and Less Active Adults

3. Lecture 3: Talent Identification and Recruitment

The Summit opened with opening prayer, National Anthem, Cavite and Imus hymns by Imus institute’s (I.I.) Peach Choir. I must tell you it was a hair raising, goose bump inducing moment when they sang. Bravo! Bravo!

We were welcomed by no other than the school Principal, Mrs. Eva Dominguez-Arcena followed by a Status report by Imus Town Mayor Manny Maliksi. In his speech, Mayor Manny thanked everyone who came and the people who organized the event. The participants of the summit were given a glimpse of the vast and unlimited possibilities of what Imus Sports can be, or should I say, can achieve. Only thru cooperation from all the sectors of society.

At present local government has started to implement the sports development program, which is very important in the advancement of any society. Tournaments on the barrio, village and school levels aims to promote good citizenship and veer away people, specially the youth, from evils of society.


In the barrios or village level, it is a given fact that we have those summer tournaments and it is important, as what Mayor Manny said, to provide these project opportunity for extension programs or continuation into a year-round activity. In the academe, the Imus Secondary Sports Athletic Association (ISAA) was established two years ago and has taken roots in almost all Imus schools offering secondary level education supporting the North Cavite Sports Unit or NCSU. At the provincial level, we were informed that almost half of the players representing the province in the inter-provincial tourneys come from the town of Imus.

“Although achievements have been made, it is important that we convene for two days and make up a plan towards the betterment of Imus Sports” Mayor Manny Maliksi said.

Then came the keynote speech of Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez. I must tell he had a lengthy speech but he did not bore me at all or the rest of his audience. He spoke of life more than sports. He even said sports is just a part of what I talk about. Sports have many facets, angles, issues but he believed in one thing “Sports is the only thing that can unite a divided nation like ours, right now!”

Chairman Ramirez knows the difficulties and hardships Imus Sports is going thru and he told us that there would be more. The summit is just a start of a journey towards sports excellence, disciplined citizens of the province. He even reminded all of us that there are so many definitions of leadership which is a vital factor in sports but the most important of all are self-sacrifice, education or know-how, discipline and love of country. Without these four, Chairman Ramirez said, “all of these will be a waste!”

Then the 30-minute break for everyone. By this time, everyone has queued up for the snacks. I guess we all knew we would be staying in the plenary hall until 10 pm tonight and be back by eight tomorrow, Saturday. The start of a great revolution in the province, the epicenter is in Imus, Imus Sports!

Francis A. Buenaventura
February 29, 2008
Pulso ng Makabagong Cavitenyo
Province of Cavite