Angping to stop tapping Fil-foreign bets

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping yesterday bared plans of scrapping the practice of tapping of Fil-foreign athletes as spearheads of the national teams in various international competitions.

“If ever, this will be the last time we’ll finance Fil-Am athletes,” said Angping, who prefers to develop and train homegrown talents. “Imagine all these money going to them, why not give it to our young talents staying here in the country.”

Angping’s latest move is expected to draw varied reactions from various NSAs, whose campaigns have been backstopped by a number of Fil-Am athletes, including swimming, lawn tennis, beach volleyball and football.

Swimming has Daniel Coakley, James Walsh and Christel Simms, tennis Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, beach volley Diane Pascua and Heidi Illustre and football Fil-Brit brothers Phil and James Younghusband.

This developed as Angping took the initiative of forming a task force to search for talents in the far-flung areas in the provinces, particularly swimmers from Mindanao.

“I just created a task force called the PSC-aquatic recruitment. Three people have volunteered, including former RP team mainstay Susan Papa,” Angping told mediamen yesterday.

“They will go to Sulu and recruit swimmers because there, they learn to swim before they learn to walk,” he added.

Joining Papa in the task force are former RP team mainstays Ramon Roque and Luz Arciaga.

Angping said they are planning to tap as many swimmers as they can and give them full support, proper training and possibly send them abroad.

“I told the task force to recruit as many as 50. If they’re really good, I’ll send them to Xiamen, China,” said the former softball chief.

The PSC has earlier drew support from Lamoiyan Corp. owner Cecilio Pedro, who pledged a financial aid worth P1 million to help fund the training of young swimmers for international competitions.      – Joey Villar