By Edwin Rollon

THE Philippine Olympic Committee will launch the ?Adopt the Athlete? program in a bid to raise money from private and corporate sponsors as part of the Olympic body?s thrust to become self reliant.

POC president Jose ?Peping? Cojuangco said they are looking for at least a monthly stipend of P50,000 to sustain the athletes? training and nutrition needs, two aspects that he said are vital for the Filipino athletes to be in tip-top condition for competitions here and abroad, including the Southeast Asian Games in December.

?This is not only for the SEAG. Our athletes must be in top condition as we set to compete in other major tournaments this year such as the Asian Youth Olympics and the World Youth Olympics which will be held in Singapore in August,? Cojuangco said.

?I already asked some friends from the corporate sector to adopt an athlete. A P50,000 monthly contribution will help sustain the athlete and hopefully make him a world champion in the future.?

The POC chief said he already had exploratory meetings with two prominent businessmen?Manny Pangilinan of Smart and Tonyboy Cojuangco of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., but deferred from giving details of the meeting.

?We just presented to them our program, and we hope that we can work hand in hand to uplift the welfare of our athletes,? said Cojuangco.

Cojuangco added that he also briefed the two telecommunication magnates about the marketing scheme of the POC.

The POC chief said another businessman engaged in brewery has already promised that he will adopt at least six athletes.

?He said that he will present the program to his boss, but definitely he said he can adopt at least six athletes. Okey na ito sa atin. Kung hindi kaya na per sports, eh ?di per athlete na lang ang gawin natin,? said Cojuangco.

In the run-up to the Manila SEA Games in 2005, the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo launched the Godfather scheme for the Philippine Team, raising more than P200 million, which was used to support at least 12 national sports associations.