A short answer to a question has made The Designated Kit Man ponder on a seemingly small detail being required by a certain sporting association from its newly-hired employees. In order for these people to work for the said sporting group, they need to sign a non-disclosure agreement or NDA.
I’m literally confused about the reasons of this sporting association. As the name implies, its concerns are not matters of state affairs. Neither does it engage in any issues that might jeopardize our security and sovereignty as a country.
Nor do they have anything to do with what is happening now in the West Philippine Sea, where our gallant soldiers, brave members of the media and local fishermen are being subjected to ridicule, false accusations and water cannons in our territory by those Chinese bullies. Which also makes me wonder until now why these Chinese bullies think lightly or lowly of Filipinos in our territory despite a UN arbitral ruling, historical claims and common sense that these islands are within our exclusive economic zones. ‘Yung Pambansang Traydor ng Pilipinas, nasaan na kaya?
But back to this sporting association that governs a sport still finding its footing post pandemic.
Section 103 of Republic Act 11975 or the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for FY 2024 states that “To enhance transparency and enforce accountability, all agencies of the government shall maintain a Transparency Seal to be posted on their websites.”
This fact was reinforced by the answer of an official coming from Vito Cruz. When asked about this peculiar issue, this official, who is always accessible, but hates to be in photo ops and pabibo sessions unlike his boss, simply said: “It depends on the information although there is data privacy, but in fact it is encouraged that the national sporting associations (NSAs) to be transparent under IOC good governance standards.”
So why the signing of NDAs? What is the proper process for this? While opinions vary on whether this is legal or not, one thing is certain, transparency is a must especially for sporting associations using funds coming from the government and international sporting bodies.
The key word, however, is “encouraged” which is not absolute and open to debate. Because sporting associations are also private entities.
One friend told me that if the sporting association is asking employees, who are leaving the company to sign NDAs before they can officially part ways, it is a different issue altogether.
“Better ask a lawyer too,” he said.
Judging from the start of the Philippines Football League, there are at least some key takeaways from the games. First of all, there are many players that have shown so much potential even to the point that some fans are encouraging them to try out for the team formerly known as the Azkals even if they just played one game.
Of course the favorites showed up too in the opening with Kaya Iloilo FC, Stallion Laguna FC, Dynamic Herb Cebu FC and Mendiola FC 1991 notching shutout wins against separate opponents.
Kaya beat United City FC, 2-0; while the Laguna squad routed Don Bosco Garelli United, 7-0. The boys of Mendiola posted the same score against Philippine Air Force, while the Gentle Giants smashed Loyola FC, 4-0. Also victorious were newcomers One Taguig FC (4-1 vs Manila Montet FC); Maharlika Taguig FC (3-2 over Tuloy FC) and Manila Digger FC which buried the Philippine Army, 3-2.
“We are very happy with the turnout. Ang daming goals na na-iscore. From individual players to the whole squads, maganda talaga ang ipinakita ng mga teams. The fans also came and supported the opening weekend,” Coco Torre, Commissioner of the Philippines Football League, said.
Action resumes this weekend as teams continue to scramble to win as many points as possible. The second weekend will also give us a peek on which teams have the capacity and the firepower to mount a deep run in the tournament. Torre also expects more teams to play better after dealing with opening day jitters.
“Expected naman ‘yan kasi mga bago pa lang ang ibang mga teams. Expanded edition kasi tayo so testing ground ito ng mga clubs na gustong sumabak sa premier league natin sa October. So they are also making the most of the platform kahit na may be an obvious disparity among the more established and veteran clubs compared to the new ones,” Torre explained.
The tournament will also help the squads gain muchneeded experience on and off the pitch especially on how to make the clubs sustainable and competitive. Torre said it will also give the PFL the opportunity to assess which teams can really mount a serious campaign in October. As of now, there are two criteria that Torre and company are watching, the clubs’ performances and their sustainability.
Aside from the local talent, several foreign players also figured prominently last weekend, which is good for players based here in the country.
“These foreign players add more competition and raise the level of play in the league. They also bring in new tactics, new skill sets and better understanding of the game,” Torre added.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
