Politics takes a backseat at SEAG

If politics makes strange bedfellows, sports can bring together estranged political figures.

Former President Corazon Aquino was at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum yesterday to watch the gymnastics event in which the daughter of her former spokesman was competing, and in the crowd with her were the First Gentleman and the sports czar of the Marcos regime.

Aquino was there simply to cheer for Philippine athletes in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG), including gymnast Kristine Raissa Saguisag, daughter of former senator Rene Saguisag. The day before, it was President Arroyo who dropped by the Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the athletic events.

"Well, I’m here to cheer on our team and all our Filipino athletes, and of course, all the participants in the SEA Games," said Aquino, the country’s first woman head of state.

"I wish all of them well and I hope that our country will win," added the former president, who was joined by eldest daughter Balsy Cruz at the coliseum that was half-filled with gymnastics fans.

In the in front of them were First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and his tocayo, Michael "Mike" Keon, RP training team director and former chief of the Marcos-era sporting program "Project: Gintong Alay" that produced the likes of former Asian sprint queen Lydia de Vega.

After a simple handshake, Arroyo and Aquino hardly spoke to each other while watching the action.

"I’ve always believed that athletes bring honor and glory to our country and I think every Filipino should also think of bringing honor and glory to our country," Aquino said.

Aquino has joined calls by the opposition for President Arroyo’s resignation amid claims of electoral fraud and jueteng payoffs to family members, including Mr. Arroyo.

Seated nearby was former senator Saguisag. "Probably the reason why she’s (Aquino) here is to remind all of our athletes that in 1991 we won 91 gold medals," he said.

"But this is above politics. This is above political stripes. Kalimutan na muna lahat (Let’s set everything aside first) — the mediocrity and division," said Saguisag, who used to write a sports column in one of the country’s broadsheets.

He also reminded the hundreds of Filipino athletes the true meaning of competition.

"Nothing beats the feeling you get when you see our flag being raised to the tune of the national anthem. Let’s just hope that we can better our 1991 result," he said.

"Whatever happens we will accept. You always get what you pray for. And this we can achieve through pure merit and hard work," added Saguisag.

Of his meeting with his former boss Aquino, Saguisag said "there was less to it than meets the eye. That was an innocent meeting of sports lovers.

"Cory said she read the write-up (in The STAR) so she called me and my wife to say that she would be there for Raissa," he said.

He also said that he did not talk politics with Mr. Arroyo, and neither was former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano mentioned.

In a political aside, he said: "We don’t need Garci here. We don’t need a million votes, only medals." — With Mike Frialde, Reagan Tan