THE return of Mayor Manny Maliksi of Imus, Cavite into office last Dec. 28  highlighted the  resumption of his comprehensive sports development program, which was interrupted right after the May election in 2010 when the opposition was proclaimed during  the automated election.

After a protest at the Regional Trial Court, the manual counting declared  Maliksi as the real winner.

The  creation of the Imus Sports Council (ISC) when he was first elected in 2007 smoothly implemented the program, opening up with the Imus Sports Summit conducted by the Philippine Sports  Commission (PSC) under the leadership of then Chairman Butch Ramirez.

The ISC organized the weekly sports clinics in basketball through basketball consultant Ariel  Hernandez, volleyball through consultant Joey San Juan, badminton through    Datu Alex Kiram who was a former  state selection of the state of Sabah in Malaysia and in  chess through NCAA coach Assi Bagaipo.

As a result, Imus selections in  elementary and high school  won the overall championships in the  North Cavite Sports Unit (NACSU).

Two summers ago, the  ISC successfully staged the Imus Sports Festival which was a real festive sports  meet during summer.

In sports  tourism, the Maes Maes Invitational, which was an indigenous volleyball competition, believed to  be played by  Imusenos and the Katipuneros in the pre-Spanish era was reintroduced with participants as far as Pangasinan and Bicol and was staged with high flying colors.

The little spikers was an inter-school volleyball tournament for 12 and under players and  attracted 24 schools in Imus.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) technical officiating outreach program provided a very important training for basketball referees.

The morale-boosting visit of then PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios inspired PBA Fans in Imus.

The Volleyball Coaching Seminar attracted 40 participants from the academe and were certificated by the Philippine Volleyball Federation as new developmental coaches.

These were among the few sports programs organized sincere enough under the real essence of sports development conceptualized by Mayor Maliksi.

The Comprehensive Sports Development Program is in line with the Philippine Sports Commission’s goal of developing athletes nationwide.

The technical aspect of the program was adopted according to the standards of the national sports associations including accreditation of referees and umpires.

Coaches were also certified by the  NSAs,  thus, knowledgeable in the Olympic Solidarity Movement by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee.

For one and a half year the program was interrupted and sports was diverted to professional boxing.

Younger Imuseños were not at all interested in climbing the ring and throw jabs, hooks, uppercuts, according to the results of the Imus Sports Summit. Watching? Yes maybe!

On Jan. 4,  the  ISC buckled  down to work as ISC Chairman Rommel Camerino was instructed to revive the  Comprehensive Sports Development Program. Strategic planning session is on going and on Monday recommendations will be submitted to Mayor Maliksi.