PASA scores PSC on interference, ‘persecution’

Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) president Chito Ilagan yesterday accused the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) of undermining his leadership and trying to create an unsanctioned elite corps of tankers under estranged Japanese coach Ryuzo Ishikawa.

Ilagan took PSC chairman Eric Buhain to task for paying Ishikawa a monthly salary of $2,500, shouldering his monthly living expenses of about P30,000 and providing for two round-trip tickets to Japan a year–without consulting the PASA.

Ilagan said the budget for Ishikawa cannot be justified particularly as the PSC is strapped for cash and over 800 athletes will be struck out of the national pool in a cost-cutting measure.

PASA secretary-general Chito Rivera said Ishikawa was terminated as a coach last May for insubordination and incompetence. But the quirk was Ishikawa was contracted by the PSC, not the PASA. Late last year, Buhain renewed Ishikawa’s contract up to Oct. 31.

Rivera said the problem started when Ishikawa defied the PASA by bringing six national swimmers to train in Japan last year despite a travel ban due to the SARS scare. Ishikawa received P400,000 from the PSC for the trip, a slap on the PASA which failed to get a single centavo for projects. It worsened when Ishikawa reportedly shouted at Ilagan and Rivera during a team-building exercise in a Laguna resort.

From a coaching standpoint, national training director Anthony Lozada said Ishikawa has difficulty improving the performance of swimmers on a continuing basis.

"Ishikawa’s swimmers tend to taper off," explained Lozada. "It’s important that swimmers improve year after year. He also hasn’t been able to correct certain flaws in the stroke of some national swimmers. Now, he’s recruiting swimmers and promising allowances from the PSC. It’s divisive. He’s polarizing people in swimming."

Ilagan said Ishikawa refuses to go to the provinces to train coaches and resists the idea of transferring technology.

Ilagan said the PSC seems to support Ishikawa’s divide and conquer strategy. He also blamed the PSC for encroaching into the PASA’s affairs by taking a direct hand in orchestrating Ike Buan’s election as National Capital Region president during a Holy Week poll two years ago. Buan is in Buhain’s PSC staff.

"Why is the PSC persecuting the PASA?" asked Ilagan. "When we held national tryouts, we were charged for the use of the Rizal pool and the electronic touch pads. We didn’t get a single centavo from the approved swimming budget of P6 Million last year."

Rivera, meanwhile, refuted allegations made by national swimmer Jenny Guerrero’s father Gavino that the PASA is guilty of abuse of authority and irregular utilization of funds.

"I admit I asked Jenny, Lizza Danila and Timmy Chua to pool their allowance of P237,000 each from the First Gentleman’s fund for the national interest as we needed about P1 Million to send 10 swimmers to a pre-SEA (Southeast Asian) Games competition in Vietnam," said Rivera. "Lizza agreed but Jenny and Timmy didn’t. I asked for their consent. When I didn’t get it, the trip was cancelled and the swimmers got their allowances. It’s a lie that Jenny didn’t get her allowance."

Rivera said Guerrero was disqualified for sticking out her elbow during the breaststroke event at the Busan Asian Games and coach Guy Concepcion tried to correct it. In Vietnam, Guerrero was disqualified in two events–the 4x100 relay for a false start and the 200-meter breaststroke for a tumbling violation.

Lozada said Guerrero is not out of contention for an Athens Olympic berth. National tryouts will be held in April and the best finishers will be sent to Olympic qualifiers up to June. Lozada denied that a list of candidates for Olympic qualifiers has been drawn up by the PASA.

So far, Miguel Mendoza and Miguel Molina are the country’s only Olympic swimming qualifiers. Lozada singled out Chua, Bonus Bordado, Danila, Marichi Gandionco, Luica Dacanay and J. B. Walsh as among the prospects who recently swam close to qualifying times.

Walsh paid his way to the World Championships in Barcelona last year, joining Molina, Juan Carlo Piccio, Chua and Danila. Guerrero begged off from participating as she was still in Eastern Michigan University. "I don’t want to go unprepared," she said in an email to Lozada. "Kahihiyaan ko lang ‘yon. Sayang pa sa money."

Another prospect is New Jersey-based teenager Jackie Pangilinan who hopes to join Walsh in competing in Olympic qualifiers in the US.

Lozada said the PASA is encouraging national swimmers to train under their respective coaches. He noted that the US and Australian training models feature decentralized supervision. Lozada added he is leaving for Australia tomorrow to learn more about the approach from Ian Thorpe’s coach.

Ilagan said the PASA Board meets once in two years although he has proposed to make it quarterly. Rivera said he often consults the PASA Executive Committee–made up of seven members, including Vice Presidents for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao–by phone on critical issues because it is impractical to call meetings regularly.

Ilagan said he is convening a three-day Aquatics Summit in Alabang in April to iron out problems and lay out the blueprint for smooth sailing in the future. He said the PASA is prepared to operate on its own in building up for the 2005 SEA Games.

Ilagan described the future of swimming as "promising" because of the proliferation of outstanding age groupers, 70 percent of whom are based outside of Metro Manila, and "alarming" because of the PSC’s alleged hidden agenda.

Rivera said the proof that the Philippines is on the verge of making waves in swimming came when the country took the overall championship–its first in 19 years–at the ASEAN age group competitions in San Pablo City last September.