Clash in leaders’ opinions ruins Batang Pinoy

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan — The reason why the PNYG-Batang Pinoy has too many flaws is that the sports leaders running the show have contrasting opinions in terms of improving the annual multi-sports meet for children aged 12 years and below.

Ariel Paredes, project director of the recently-concluded event staged at the Puerto Princesa Sports Complex here, said the Philippine Sports Commission has no plans of setting guidelines regarding residency rules.

"As long as they have the papers duly signed by their respective local government units (LGUs), we can’t do anything about it,"said Paredes Friday night when the fourth Batang Pinoy edition ended.

Paredes’ comments were in deep contrast to statements earlier made by his boss, PSC chairman Eric Buhain.

Buhain told The STAR Friday that the sports agency is bent on implementing stricter measures in the next Batang Pinoy staging in a bid to avoid a repetition of protests and controversies that rocked the weeklong event.

"There were obviously a lot of questions and we don’t want that to happen again so expect us to set stricter guidelines next year," Buhain said.

Buhain was referring to a plan of imposing residency rules to weed out non-resident athletes of a particular LGU.

The former veteran internationalist tanker and former national swimming coach specifically wants to implement a one-year residency rule where athletes must be a legal resident of an LGU before representing it.

Manila, headed by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza’s son Ali, had filed protests in swimming, chess, gymnastics and table tennis because of the conspicuous absence of residency rules in the Batang Pinoy.

Meanwhile, Atienza, whose lean but mean Big City delegation finished second behind eventual overall champion Laguna, bared plans of going full throttle in getting the PSC’s nod to give Manila the hosting rights for the 2003 Batang Pinoy.

There were reports that PSC offered Manila next year’s Batang Pinoy in return for withdrawing its protests a few days after Buhain said Lucena City, Quezon has in the inside track over other bidders.

Aside from Manila and Lucena City, Naga City, Tubod, Lanao del Norte, Laguna, Cebu City, Puerto Princesa, Bohol and Antique have shown interest in nest year’s Batang Pinoy.

Buhain said that the PSC is currently deliberating on the matter and will decide early next year.