PSC: Controversies shouldn’t affect SEAG preparations

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain is hoping that the controversies hounding the government sports agency won’t affect the country’s participation in the Vietnam SEA Games this December.

Buhain said the national athletes preparing for the biennial meet should be spared from any distraction that may be caused by the string of controversies surrounding the lifestyle check to be conducted by the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) on top PSC officials.

"It’s the athletes’ time now," Buhain was quoted yesterday.

Buhain’s executive assistant, Sean Solis, also said they welcome the PAGC probe initiated by Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella last September amid charges or allegations of graft and corruption within the PSC, which has an annual budget of almost half a billion pesos.

"We welcome the lifestyle check and we will reply to whatever the PAGC would require us. I think that’s the proper procedure," said Solis, days after the lifestle check was elevated from the Commission on Audit (COA) to the powerful PAGC.

A total of 449 athletes will represent the country in the Vietnam SEAG set. Dec. 5 to 13. It will be the biggest delegation in years after the 258 in Brunei in 1999 and 359 in Kuala Lumpur in 2001.

Joining the athletes in the trip are 98 coaches, 28 team managers, 29 from the secretariat, 30 from the officiating panel, 16 medical and eight technical officials for a total of 658 persons.

The SEA Games technical committee headed by bowling’s Steve Hontiveros also announced the inclusion of the men’s volleyball team in the RP delegation after some problems with its lineup.

The volleyball association initially submitted a roster that included three players standing at least 6-feet-5. One by one and for different reasons, the towering players left the team along with four others, forcing a major revamp within the team.

But upon the justification of the coaching staff that the new team would even be better than the previous lineup, the SEA Games technical committee finally gave the team the green light to the Vietnam Games. Filling the void in the team are seven veteran players.