Hidden agenda?

The attack on Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Cynthia Carrion came as a shock to President Arroyo’s classmate and friend. She never expected PSC Chairman Eric Buhain to succumb to outside pressure and call for her ouster.

"My back hurts from all the stabbing," Carrion said yesterday. She thought Buhain was an ally.

For nearly a year, Carrion said Buhain was part of a "secret" committee that she formed to study how to make things work better at the PSC. She pushed for Buhain’s nomination as a Commissioner. President Arroyo appointed him Chairman instead.

Last February, Carrion got a taste of what to expect when Rep. Monico Puentevella, Chairman of the Committee on Youth and Sports in Congress, filed a resolution urging the Chief Executive to remove her from office. There were 20 congressmen who signed the resolution with Puentevella, a former PSC Commissioner who served during the Ramos and Estrada Administrations.

With no imminent action from Malacañang, Puentevella sent a personal letter to the President reminding her to boot out Carrion. The letter was dated last April 23. Puentevella called Carrion "a sore thumb in the PSC Board" and said "there is no teamwork in the PSC Board because of her."

In the same letter, Puentevella cited several alleged improprieties involving Carrion. He said Carrion continued to harbor a suspected criminal as her Executive Assistant in the PSC, noted that Carrion traveled twice to the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia (an apparent extravagance that cost P120,000), and disclosed that she "is using a rent-a-car vehicle daily paid by the PSC when an official car has already been assigned to her for almost a year now." I wonder how the President reacted upon receiving the scandal sheet – amused, disappointed or disenchanted?

To put more pressure on the President, Buhain and three PSC Commissioners sent their own letter to Malacañang. Buhain’s letter was coursed through Secretary Avelino Cruz, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, and dated last April 24. In his letter, Buhain blamed Carrion for allegedly using two sportswriters (not from The STAR) "to peddle intrigues, utter lies, controversies and other malicious news items that deliberately undermine and attack the very prestige and reputation of the Commission." Buhain also raised the issue of Carrion appointing a "controversial" Executive Assistant, Agnes Cruz.

Carrion said the charges against her are "non-issues" and minced no words in lashing out at her detractors whom she branded as idiots, hypocrites and liars, not necessarily in that order. She claimed she had no inkling of Buhain’s ambush. "I am in shock," she said. "They plotted against me behind my back."

Carrion said there was nothing wrong in appointing Cruz as Amado Valdez, the Government Corporate Counsel, cleared it in an official opinion dated last April 18. In explaining his opinion, Valdez said PSC Chief Accountant Merlita Ibay certified that Cruz had no more unliquidated accounts and "the ground for disqualification, therefore, no longer exists."

Still, Carrion continued, she sacked Cruz because the PSC Board insisted on it. She did it for the sake of unity. Cruz worked 12 years in the PSC and Carrion said, she was sacrified because she knew too much about the anomalies of the previous Administrations.

Carrion pointed to Puentevella as the instigator of the mess. "It’s all Monico," she barked. "He’s out to destroy the PSC so he can push for the formation of a Department of Sports where he wants to be the Secretary. He became the president of the weightlifting association because he also wants to be the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president. This is all about politics and ambition. Eric is very political, too, in his decision-making and since I’m vocal against some of the things he wants to do, I’m considered a threat in the PSC."

Carrion admitted initiating moves to recall a PSC driver assigned to Puentevella in Congress and remove his brother, a PSC consultant, from the payroll.

As for her unliquidated expenses, Carrion insisted she’s clean. The amount in question – about P280,000 – was used during the Women’s Day celebration at the PhilSports Arena last March. "I’m not a disbursing officer," she said. "I prepare the budget but it is Jeanette Austria who disburses. I didn’t spend a centavo for myself. I don’t know how to do that. I am against corruption. I am not afraid to fight Monico. I don’t care who anyone is."

Is she a name-dropper?

"The only time I dropped the President’s name was when I presented a proposal for an Ahon Bayan program similar to what she did at the Department of Social Welfare where she raised about P98 Million for the marginalized sector. The concept is a champion and captain program for each support – a champion being a sponsoring private firm and the captain being a sports hero. I am against name-dropping – it’s ugly. Let other people drop your name. But don’t drop other people’s name."

Carrion said she has spoken to some of the 20 Congressmen who signed Puentevella’s resolution and they swore they weren’t aware of the clause calling for her ouster. "The resolution was basically for the retention of Commissioner (William) Ramirez then in the bottom of the resolution, there was a note about me," she added.

It’s sad that a petty intramural squabble, sparked by political posturing, has thrown the PSC into a state of disorder. What’s sadder is that the protagonists are trying to drag the President into the mess.

The charges against Carrion are administrative in nature and personal in spirit. Surely, as PSC Chairman, Buhain could’ve resolved the issues internally, like a true leader, without putting pressure on Malacañang to step in. It’s unfair for Buhain to put President Arroyo on the spot when she has more serious problems of national impact to attend to.

As for Carrion’s charges against Puentevella, let the Congressman say his piece. A clarification from him would be assuring.

Is it too late to mend fences without striking out either Carrion or Buhain and his allied Commissioners? It’s really up to them to resolve their differences.

Buhain and Puentevella chose to wash dirty linen in public, before the press. That should’ve been avoided if only for the sake of unity in sports and setting a good example to our athletes. What an embarrassment.