New Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Patrick “Pato“ Gregorio during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, July 1, 2025. Photo from Rom Anzures, ABS-CBN News.
MANILA — Sportsman Patrick "Pato" Gregorio has officially started his term as the newest Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman.
The 57-year-old, who is also the president of the Philippine Rowing Association, formally took over from outgoing PSC chief Richard Bachmann at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Tuesday, marking a new start for the government's sports arm.
"It's my time to help," said Gregorio, who is also a former PBA Chairman during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum. "I am your lucky '13th' Chairman of the PSC. I'm really grateful and privileged to serve the nation through PSC. Maybe a different style, but the same dreams"
Under Bachmann's leadership, the Philippines saw Olympic glory anew, with Carlos Yulo winning two gold medals in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
However, while Gregorio wants the same -- if not better -- during his term, he is also aiming to further boost the other needs of the sports landscape in the country.
READ: Patrick Gregorio replaces Richard Bachmann as PH Sports Commission chief
"One thing I can promise you are our dreams is nakasalalay sa solid fundamentals," Gregorio said. "Una, let us continue to enable and inspire our national athletes, but before we tell our athletes na laban para sa bayan, inaalagaan ba natin sila?"
To complement this, Gregorio is looking to create a sports foundation that is similar to the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) which is composed of private sectors that prioritize providing help with regard to disaster risk reduction and management.
He said that such can give the country's athletes a framework of how they can receive support not only when they eventually win, but also during their preparations and even as early as their grassroots years.
"Dyan papasok yung support ng private sectors," said Gregorio. "Andyan yung suporta, so it is our role to develop this framework. Marami pong nagte-text sa akin na paano kami makakatulong, so kami po sa PSC, i-plot natin. Let's not make it difficult for them."
"Ang pinakamahirap po is yung handang tumulong pero nahirapan pang tumulong. So ease of donation, of helping, so lahat yan, pag aaralan natin," he added.
Aside from this, boosting sports tourism is also a goal of Gregorio's term.
"Let us leverage sports as a part of economic development. Ang isang matagumpay na bayan ay isang may matagumpay na sports program," he said, emphasizing how there must be proper support from the National Sporting Associations (NSAs).
"Believer ako ng sports tourism. The biggest events in the world are sporting events. It's not cheap, so ang isang importante eh alignment," he insisted. "We must plot it well, and if we allocate funds the right way, then we can encourage NSAs to host."
In addition to these, also among the immediate tasks that Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. asked Gregorio to prioritize are the improvement of local sports facilities as well as getting the Filipino people more active in sports.
Gregorio is also focusing on the digitalization of athletes' profiles, and creating a National Championship for each of the NSAs.
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