Panahon na para linisin ang Philippine sports

Ito na ang tamang panahon ng paglilinis sa Philippine sports.

 Hinikayat kahapon ni Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, Jr. ang lahat ng mga national athletes, coaches at officials na isiwalat ang anumang masamang eksperyensang kanilang naranasan.

 Ang pinakahuli rito ay ang sinasabing pagsasamantala ng isang karatedo instructor sa kanyang atleta sa Cebu City.

 "If there is anything that is not correct or things that should be corrected, let us know," sabi ni Cojuangco. "Like what I've said, binubuksan natin itong pinto for these things na noong araw siguro takot magsalita 'yung mga taong ito."

 Sa ulat na nakarating kay Cojuangco mula kay Philippine Karatedo Federation (PKF) chief Eduardo Ponce, isang 19-anyos na karateka ang umano'y pinagsamantalahan ng kanyang instructor sa Cebu City.    

 Ang nasabing kaso ay sinasabing isinampa ng mga magulang ng karateka sa isang korte sa Cebu City. 

 "I don't want to interfere with what they are doing at the moment. I think they went to the proper authorities and let them do their own things, but as far as the POC is concerned we are opening this matter up very carefully so that we can see what is going on," ani Cojuangco.

 Hindi ito ang unang kasong seksuwal ng isang atleta sa kanyang coach. Noong 1990's isang national swimmer ang nagsampa ng kasong rape laban sa isang Commissioner ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

 "We can penalize or we can remove the coach from the roster of coaches that the PSC is giving monthly allowance to, but it is not our duty to remove them from their National Sports Association," ani PSC chairman William "Butch" Ramirez. (Russell Cadayona)