Swimming chief Mark Joseph yesterday said Pangilinan’s decision dealt a blow to the country’s campaign in the quadrennial meet where RP is expected to field in a team headed by 2005 Manila Southeast Asian Games triple gold medal winner Miguel Molina.
"We have no choice but to support Jackie," said Joseph.
Joseph, however, said he expects Pangilinan to be back in future international competitions like the 2007 SEAG in Bangkok, Thailand and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Pangilinan, 18, is a sophomore at Harvard where she is an honor student on a swimming scholarship which is worth about $4,800 (P245,000), according to her Filipino father, Florante.
Her decision to withdraw from the Asiad marked the fourth time that an RP team mainstay either retired or skipped the event.
Miguel Mendoza, a gold medallist in the 2005 Manila SEAG, had called it quits early this year to work full-time in the US.
Timmy Chua, an Athens veteran himself, and Liza Danila have also decided to focus on their studies in the country.
Joseph, a former national team standout, said there is still a strong chance of RP snaring a medal in Doha despite the absence of the four swimmers.
Aside from Molina, the team will be composed of old and new faces that included another Fil-Am sensation in Erica Totten, Kendrick Uy and Daniel Coackley, who have performed impressively in the FINA Junior World Swimming Championships early in the year.
Marichi Gandiongco, Ryan Arabejo, Ernest Dee and Gerardo Bordado are the other members of the squad.