ON March 15, 2022, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the FIBA 2023 World Cup met for the very first time at the Malarayat Golf and Country Club to get the ball rolling for one of the biggest events the country will host this August since the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Richard “Dickie” Bachmann sat in that meeting as Operations Manager. He was handpicked for the post by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SPB) head Al Panlilio, whose day job is being the president and CEO of PLDT.
Being Operations Manager is no simple task. He tends to venues, sports, games services, accreditation, IT, among others. Filled to the brim.
At mid-morning on Wednesday, Bachmann was in Malacañang being sworn as the 12th chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. With him were his daughters Ciara and Sophia.
No less than President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos tasked him to head the government sports arm.
Touché.
In a statement sent to media hours after his oath-taking, Bachmann said: “I am deeply humbled to have the opportunity to serve our Philippine athletes in this capacity. I look forward to working with the NSAs [national sports associations], together with our PSC team members and Commissioners, in order to help our athletes prepare for this year’s sporting events.”
“I am also grateful for the continued support of the PBA [Philippine Basketball Association] community, SBP organization, and my mentor, Wilfred Steven Uytengsu,” he added in the statement.
“I bring with me nearly three decades of experience in organized sports, as well as the Alaska Aces philosophy I have learned and valued over the years, which is to win with integrity while helping our athletes to become better individuals off the court,” ended Bachmann, who completed his Business Management course at De La Salle—where he also impressed as a Green Archer—in 1991.
Bachmann was all basketball during his younger life having been with Alaska as a player and executive for more than two decades. He was also named head of 3×3 by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial and basketball commissioner for three seasons at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines—jobs he had to relinquish to serve at the PSC.
On his Day 1 as PSC chairman, Bachmann, 54, was at the agency facilities inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila by 7 a.m. He toured the historic venue before heading to Malacañang for the oath-taking ceremony.
He returned by 1 p.m. to the PSC, gathered Deputy Executive Directors Merlita Ibay and Anna Christine Abellana and commissioners Olivia “Bong” Coo and recent appointees Edward Lim Hayco and Walter Francis Torres—they took their oath last December 28.
After some two-and-a-half hours, Bachmann reiterated to BusinessMirror his mission at the PSC.
“It’s my force of habit to come early even during my days as Alaska executive,” Bachmann said.
Bachmann bared his short-term plan that focuses on the athletes’ welfare especially because the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games are up in May and the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
“I would like to assure that there won’t be a delay in their [athletes] allowances and I would like to focus on proper nutrition,” he said. “The previous chairman [Noli Eala] had many plans and it’s just a matter of executing them.”
He also stressed that the national sports associations (NSAs) would be taken care of under his term, adding that he is willing to “show and prove to everyone that he’s not only good in managing basketball [stuff] but all sports and athletes properly as well.”
“My focus are the athletes and all of Philippine sports—not only basketball as what many people know me,” he said.
Bachmann said that he seek Eala and his predecessor William “Butch” Ramirez’s advice as he thanked Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino for his congratulatory message.
“I am looking forward to meeting with the POC, its president, Mayor Abraham Tolentino, to discuss what’s good for Philippine sports,” he said.