No incentive for CJ

Christian Jan (CJ) Suarez is the first Filipino male–other than four-time champion Rafael (Paeng) Nepomuceno–to win the World Cup of Bowling. He did it in the Honduras last week. To top it all, Suarez and Jojo Canare boosted the Philippines to the team title–recognizing the efforts of the male and female bowlers of each country in the annual affair.

It was only the Philippines’ second "country" crown. Nepomuceno and Arianne Cerdena combined to lift the Philippines to its first team title in South Africa in 1993. Both Nepomuceno and Cerdena finished third in their individual events. There is no mixed doubles competition in the World Cup as the team championship is determined by the standings of a country’s representatives in the singles events for men and women.

What’s disheartening is Suarez, a southpaw like Nepomuceno, isn’t eligible to receive a cash incentive from the government under Republic Act 9064 – the so-called Sports Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001 – despite his glowing achievement. The law rewards only athletes who earn medals in quadrennial competitions such as the Olympics, Asian Games and World Championships and Southeast Asian Games medallists who equal or break records.

The World Cup of Bowling is a yearly, not a quadrennial, event so Filipino champions like Nepomuceno and Suarez aren’t recognized by R.A. 9064. Others not blessed are world titlists like cue artist Efren (Bata) Reyes (the prestigious World Pool Championships in Cardiff is an annual tournament), golfer Dorothy Delasin, boxer Manny Pacquiao and chess wizard Eugene Torre.

R.A. 9064 is clearly discriminatory. Puyat Sports–headed by Popit and Putch Puyat–submitted a proposal addressing the omissions in the law to Rep. Monico Puentevella last year. The proposal provides incentives for Filipino champions not covered by R.A. 9064 but are revered as national heroes just the same. In the proposal, athletes who pocket a purse of over $100,000 for a championship will not be covered for obvious reasons.

Nepomuceno’s father and coach Angel said to his knowledge, the proposal has not been written up as a bill.

Suarez’ campaign in the World Cup was funded by Puyat Sports so government spent nothing for it. In effect, the government is taking a free ride on Suarez’ triumph.

It’s not an accident that Filipino athletes who compete inchampionships not recognized by R.A. 9064 are usually supported by the private sector with minimal–if not zero–government support. "All the more they should be rewarded because they were not supported by government and made us all proud," said Nepomuceno’s father. "R.A. 9064 provides incentives only for athletes supported by government."

Is R.A. 9064 deliberately snubbing private sector-supported athletes to justify government expense for those supported by the Philippine Sports Commission?

Nepomuceno, incidentally, is in San Diego attending to his son Rafael, Jr.’s enrollment in school. He has been away and out of circulation for several months. His wife Pinky is now in the US with him. During his hiatus, Nepomuceno found time to fly to Singapore and compete in a leg of the Asian circuit. The family plans to return here for Christmas.

Does Nepomuceno plan to continue bowling competitively?

"There is still a little pain in his left wrist, it comes and goes," said his father. "He’s very careful with it. He practices in San Diego but he’s got to be a bit rusty now because of lack of competition. He loves the sport and he’ll continue to play in tournaments for as long

as he can. He’s very healthy and physically fit. He exercises, jogs and lifts weights."

In the Oct. 2003 issue of Bowling Digest, writer Chris Capulso described Nepomuceno as "the best bowler ever," overshadowing the likes of Walter Ray Williams and Earl Anthony. Capulso said "the International Bowling Federation named him nothing less than the International Bowling Athlete of the Millennium, not Williams, not Anthony but Paeng."

Capulso continued: "Only a handful of athletes are referred to by their first name. Tiger comes to mind. Magic is certainly one. Serena and Venus, maybe. Then there’s Paeng. Paeng is one of the few Filipinos to take his act onto the world stage. In many ways, Paeng often has been the Philippines’ top public relations man. If Paeng walks into one of his bowling centers in Manila, the buzz and noise so familiar to bowling centers around the world silence. Getting a glimpse of and an autograph from a living legend take precedence over the game."

Capulso wrote about how Nepomuceno practiced for hours on a makeshift, inclined plywood platform in the basement of the family’s Mandaluyong home when the country was blanketed by darkness during the brownout era of the 1970s.

Nepomuceno’s father thought of the makeshift bowling lane to keep his son active while the bowling centers were shut down. "Since the platform had no pins, Paeng just concentrated on his release, nothing else," recalled his father-coach. " I had the platform tilt upwards so the ball would roll back to him. He did it for hours."

Nepomuceno himself recalled the dark days. "I remember when typhoon Yoling knocked out electric power in Metro Manila for more than a week," said Nepomuceno, quoted by Capulso. "No power meant no practice because the bowling centers were all closed. The rotation of the ball is very important in knocking down the pins. The faster it spins, the better to knock down the pins. Practicing in the dark helped me develop that extra spin on the ball."

Nepomuceno underwent surgery on his left wrist in 1999 and after a two-year layoff, came back to team with Rowen Jay Bautista in doubles for a gold at the Asian Games in Busan. He called the triumph his most difficult and satisfying accomplishment because it ended a long chase for his first-ever Asiad gold.

Throughout his colorful career, Nepomuceno–now 46–has not lost sight of his priorities. "My family always comes first, followed by my bowling career," said Nepomuceno who at 19 won his first World Cup in 1976. "I don’t just join every tournament–I pick and choose, always leaving quality time for my family."

After all, Nepomuceno said it was family that propelled him to stardom. "My parents were supportive especially during my early years," he said. "They sacrificed so much, in so many ways, to help me. It would have been impossible for me to become a bowling champion without their support."

Suarez, 24, knows Nepomuceno is a tough act to follow. He idolizes the four-time World Cup champion as a role model. No wonder CJ is on the right track.