TO BECOME the best, you will have to learn from the best and Brunei cagers and golfers will be able to do just that after the Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission offered to assist Brunei in the development of said sports.

"The Philippines are sending their athletes and the coaches to assist Brunei especially in basketball and golf," said Ricardo R Garcia after a courtesy call to the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports building in Berakas yesterday.

"We will continue the exchange of data and information on sports, as well as the exchange of sports officials and volunteers between both countries," he said.

"The progress comes with a view of providing an opportunity for the athletes, sports officials and coaches to learn from one another and share experiences in their fields. It can also be seen as a step towards the realisation of the ASEAN community," he added.

The Philippines has long established itself as a regional powerhouse in both basketball and golf.

Basketball, in particular, is the most popular sport in the country with its own highly popular and competitive professional league, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

The Philippines national team has also gone on to impress on the international stage, notably winning bronze at the 1954 FIBA World Championship for men and a fifth-place finish in the 1936 Summer Olympics.

During the the courtesy call, Pehin Dato Hj Hazair highlighted that the exchange of coaching expertise is one of the aspects both countries have expressed interest in.

Garcia responded by emphasising that the Philippines are willing to provide any form of training assistance needed by Brunei's athletes.

"We welcome Bruneian athletes to the Philippines for sports training and sharing of expertise in sports sciences, coaching, training, infrastructure and anything related to sports" he said.

"We hope that we will be able to help them and even invite them to compete in the sport events in the Philippines," he added.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Philippine Sports Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 1 last year to derive mutual benefit from the exchange of sports programmes, athletes, coaches and information. It was also to further strengthen the bilateral relations between both parties.

The Philippine Sports Commission was created in 1990 to serve as the sole policy-making and coordinating body of all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the Philippines.

Its primary function is to provide the leadership, formulate the policies and set the priorities and directions of all national sports promotion and development, with an emphasis on grassroots participation.

The Brunei Times