Villanueva–the GAB chairman, that is–isn’t running for public office. As it is, he’s got his hands full trying to put the GAB house in order. And Villanueva is the first to admit the GAB in a shambles.
At a lunch meeting in Makati yesterday, Villanueva vowed to initiate significant reforms in the GAB. The meeting was arranged by former World Boxing Council secretary-general Rudy Salud. It was prompted by a series of exposes on GAB shenanigans detailed in two Star columns. Invited to attend were Recah Trinidad of the Inquirer, Ronnie Nathanielsz of the Standard and yours truly. Salud’s assistant George Alcantara was also there.
"I will definitely act on the complaints," said Villanueva. "I will get to the bottom of all of these things and come up with the best solutions."
Villanueva, whose reputation for honesty is unquestioned, said he accepted the GAB job because he couldn’t refuse a call to be of service to the country. Besides, he confessed a passion for sports. "I love sports," he said. "I think I’ve played every major sport there is."
But in an exasperated tone, Villanueva admitted encountering difficulty in managing the affairs of the government agency tasked to supervise professional sports in the country.
"I’ve managed companies in the private sector and I’m not used to seeing unproductive staff," he said. "In the GAB, we have a surplus of people and it’s not easy to reduce the fat. We used to have a complement of 240. We’ve brought it down to 180 but I think we should still reduce it to 120. Some things are beyond our control. There are built-in, in-depth problems that are inherent in a government office but that’s how it works."
Villanueva said he has been subjected to a loyalty check by Rep. Monico Puentevella whose wife is his cousin because of a misunderstanding but it’s been called off. "There is no pending case against me for graft," said Villanueva. "My record is clean. I was told someone joked there is no money in the GAB so how can anyone steal from it. But it’s not a joke. We have an annual budget of P54 Million—-the same as last year—-and sometimes we get our funds in trickles."
Despite the obstacles, Villanueva said the GAB has been able to post some achievements under his watch—-like ending the two-year ban on Filipino fighters by the Japan Boxing Commission, gaining Hall of Fame recognition for bagging the best accounting system award by a government agency the last three years, opening extension offices in key Visayas and Mindanao cities to facilitate GAB coordination and expanding the GAB’s authority on gamefowl and lotto operations.
On the accusation that he put up a Bacolod office to justify trips back to his hometown, Villanueva refuted the charge. "Region 6 contributes a lot of sports revenues for the government," he explained. "There are billiards, cockfighting, boxing and basketball events in Iloilo, Panay and Bacolod. We opened an office in Bacolod to supervise the events in region 6. We pay only P6,000 a month for our air-conditioned space in the Bacolod Convention Plaza. It has nothing to do with my being from Bacolod."
Villanueva promised to dig deep into charges that GAB officials are cornering dollar-paying assignments to judge fights abroad, accepting bribes, selling licenses to facilitate the issuance of foreign visas, promoting "ghost" cards, matchmaking for a fee, collecting cuts from fees of judges and referees and rigging the ratings for an under-the-table consideration.
Villanueva said he has tried to reshuffle personnel in the GAB office but can only do so much because of civil service limitations but will mercilessly crack the whip on scalawags tainting the GAB’s image.
Villanueva said effective immediately, only the GAB Board—-which convenes weekly–will designate the judges for overseas and local assignments. He noted that he will write foreign boxing organizations to course requests for Filipino judges through his office. He said that starting in June, the GAB will start to apply updated boxing rules.
"I can guarantee that from now on, no GAB official will be assigned to judge or referee abroad because that constitutes a conflict of interest," said the chairman.
"The GAB is a 50-year-old organization and there are things that tie us down to bureaucracy
because we are under the Office of the President," said Villanueva. "But with (Deputy Executive) Secretary Lagonera’s support, we hope to be able to make our own decisions regarding rules without clearing with the President or Executive Secretary. We will conduct seminars for referees and judges all over the country before we implement the new rules."
The GAB’s antiquated boxing rules have long been due for an overhaul. Over five years ago, a group made up of independent boxing experts drafted a set of updated rules that were never ratified because neither the President nor the Executive Secretary had the time or interest to study among others, whether a technical draw should be declared within three or four rounds because a fighter is unfit to continue due to a cut inflicted by an accidental butt.
Villanueva said he will also confer with boxing managers and promoters on a monthly basis in closed-door sessions to consult them on how to make the GAB more effective as a support body. He promised to open deliberations of the GAB ratings committee to interested parties to establish an atmosphere of transparency.
"I just want to help sports," he said. "My wife is already complaining that I don’t spend enough time with the family and all I get for my efforts is criticism. But I’m doing this for the country. I’ve been called to serve."
Now that Villanueva is tuned in to what’s going on behind his back at the GAB, he said he’ll need some leeway and time for a total crackdown.
"All I ask is a moratorium from media to let me start making reforms," said Villanueva.
From the way Villanueva sounded, it appears he means business.