PSC behind PASA power grab?

It was about 8 in the morning yesterday when Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) secretary Love Perez reported for work. To her surprise, she wasn’t allowed to set foot in the PASA office by the female security guard at the PhilSports complex in Pasig.

The security guard told Perez a memo purportedly signed by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) executive assistant Ike Buan ordered the closure of the PASA office. Perez then phoned PASA secretary-general Chito Rivera to ask what to do. She had no office to go to.

Rivera phoned PhilSports security officer Fred Mina to get to the bottom of the problem. Mina referred Rivera to Eugenio Cabingas who referred him to Eduardo Rivera who could not be contacted. Mina spoke about a "standing order" from the PSC to padlock the PASA office. Rivera asked for a copy of the order but Mina said it was verbal. But Perez swore the security guard read from a memo when she was told to leave the PhilSport premises.

Apparently, the PSC is giving credence to an election held in Cebu last Saturday installing Mark Joseph as new PASA president and Akiko Thomson as new secretary-general.

But Rivera said the election was unauthorized and unconstitutional.

A special PASA board meeting was supposedly convened to stage the election. Rivera said there was no 30-day prior notice for the special meeting. "Besides, neither the president nor the secretary-general and certainly not the majority of the Board called for the meeting," added Rivera. "So how could it be legal?"

Rivera said of the 13 PASA Board members, only four attended the Saturday meeting. They were Rodney Barretto of Iligan, Dee Dee Gonzalez of Davao, Leon Go of Cagayan de Oro and Baby Sy of Bicol. And according to Rivera, he was told Sy abstained from the voting.

Rivera also pointed out that under the constitution and by-laws, the PASA president is voted from among the Regional Swimming Association (RSA) presidents. "Mark claims he is entitled to become PASA president as an incorporator but that is not allowed under the PASA constitution and by-laws as ratified by the Board," said Rivera. "There is no way he can qualify to become a PASA president unless he is an RSA president."

PASA president Chito Ilagan said the Cebu meeting sought to preempt the legitimate election that will be held this Saturday in San Pablo City. "The election will be held during the regular Board meeting with a 90-day prior notice," he noted. "That is the election that is legal and authorized. The real election will go on as scheduled."

Ilagan said he received a fax signed by an unidentified person informing him of the Cebu meeting the day it was held.

"I don’t know who signed the notice of meeting," said Ilagan. "It was highly irregular."

Ilagan said several disgruntled past Board members attended the Cebu meeting whose agenda, he rued, was a power grab. Rivera called the padlocking of the PASA office a blatant act of harassment from the PSC. He said Buan was formerly a PASA Board member representing the National Capital Region and has been replaced by lawyer Bernadette Abejo.

Rivera lashed out at the PSC for refusing to support Ilagan’s administration. "Since Chito took over as PASA president when Eddie Boy (Ledesma) resigned two years ago, the PSC has not supported us," said Rivera. "We’ve advanced at least P2 Million from our own pockets to finance our participation in swimming competitions but the PSC has not reimbursed us even if the projects had approved budgets. What we can’t understand is the PSC supports diving and water polo, which are under the PASA, but not swimming."

Rivera said during the three-day national tryouts this year, the PSC even charged the PASA for the use of the Rizal swimming pool and electronic touch pads to the tune of about P60,000.

"Maybe, (PSC chairman) Eric (Buhain), who’s a former swimmer, wants to interfere in our affairs and we don’t let him," said Rivera. "For instance, the PASA doesn’t use Japanese coach Ryuzo Ishikawa but the PSC still pays him $2,500 a month. We don’t believe in Ishikawa but it seems Eric does."

Rivera said if Joseph insists he is the new PASA president with the PSC’s blessings, Ilagan will seek arbitration from the Philippine Olympic Committee.

The leadership crisis in the PASA is symptomatic of what ails Philippine sports. No wonder the Philippines has lagged behind Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia in the race for Olympic medals. The athletes aren’t to blame. They take their cue from the country’s sports leaders. If the leaders can’t get their act together, don’t expect the athletes to deliver.

The leaders must set an inspiring example for athletes. If athletes can’t look up to their leaders, who will inspire them to rise to great heights?