By: Waylon Galvez
Returning Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno-Domagoso has appointed former national team player Dale Evangelista as the new head of the Manila Sports Council (MASCO), aiming to revitalize the city’s sports programs and reestablish the capital as a hub for athletics.
Moreno’s appointment of the 46-year-old Evangelista comes just days before his official return to City Hall, alongside seven other key appointments to various departments and offices.
The mayor is set to officially assume office by noontime on Monday, June 30.
Before the midterm elections last month, Moreno had emphasized the importance of strengthening Manila’s sports initiatives — from grassroots development to identifying potential athletes for the national team who could represent the country in future international events such as the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Summer Olympics.
Evangelista expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him.
“I’m very much thankful to be given an opportunity by Mayor Isko to serve our beloved City of Manila, for his trust and confidence. It’s such a huge honor,” said Evangelista, who will step down as chairman of Barangay 56 in Tondo to assume his new role.
“The instruction of Mayor Isko is very clear — he wants to see programs that will help our grassroots development, he wants to see athletes from the city capital make the national team, and he wants these things to be standardized to ensure continuity within the Manila Sports Council (MASCO) program,” he added.
A longtime member of the national water polo team — both as an athlete and coach — Evangelista said one of his top priorities is to form a strong Team Manila for the upcoming Batang Pinoy games in General Santos City later this year.
He noted that open tryouts for various sports will be held with the support of experienced coaches to scout and develop young athletes.
“Of course, we want to send a strong team. The goal is for Team Manila to win the overall championship,” Evangelista said.
As part of MASCO’s grassroots initiatives, Evangelista is also targeting the revival of the Manila Youth Games (MYG), which has historically served as a key platform for discovering athletic talent in the city.
In addition to the MYG, there are plans to bring back the Manila Marathon and introduce local E-sports tournaments, in line with the growing popularity of digital sports among the youth.
Evangelista emphasized the importance of establishing a strong organizational framework within MASCO and assembling a competent team to effectively execute the programs.
“Our time with the national team, both as an athlete and as a coach, taught me valuable lessons. It also allowed me to create good relationships with sports people who we believe can help us improve MASCO,” he said.
Evangelista represented the Philippines in numerous international water polo tournaments. As an athlete, he helped secure silver medals in the 2005 SEA Games in Manila, the 2007 edition in Bangkok, and the 2009 games in Laos. He also earned a bronze medal in the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam.
In 2019, when the country last hosted the SEA Games, Evangelista served as chief deputy to then-head coach Rey Galang as the national team clinched another silver medal in front of the home crowd.
