Resolution uncalled for: POC member slams Cojuangco, Elizalde

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee should think twice before making good its threat to “sever all ties” with the Philippine Sports Commission if its chairman, Harry Angping, is not removed from office.

The POC executive committee, including its 13 officials and International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Frank Elizalde, recently called on President Arroyo to fire Angping.

Jose “Peping” Cojuangco said if Angping stays, the POC will cut all ties with the PSC, the government agency that provides the funding for the close to 50 national sports associations (NSAs) and all national athletes.

But a POC official, who asked not to be named, said it’s so much easier said than done.

“That statement is very uncalled for – to sever all ties with the PSC. The POC is challenging the President (Arroyo) here. Where will the POC get the money?” said the ranking sports official.

Cojuangco said there would be no compromise when the POC indeed cuts its ties with the PSC, saying “when you sever, you cut it off, and when you cut it off, it means you cut it off.”

“But will the POC move out of Ultra?” the official asked, explaining that the POC holds office at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City, a property owned by the government and run by the PSC.

Cojuangco said there’s no need to move out of Philsports because “that property is the property of the Filipino people” and that it’s the POC that spends for the office it occupies.

“Yes, they spent or spend for the office. But whose building is it? Things like these shouldn’t have happened. It’s not nice – the POC coming up with that resolution,” said the POC official.

Cojuangco also said the POC now wants a say in the selection of the PSC chairman (a sole prerogative of the President) to ensure harmony between the two bodies.

It also did not help that Elizalde, as the IOC representative, who should have been the one helping settle the issue, signed the memorandum even without sitting down with Angping, barely in his second month as PSC chief.

Before the media, Elizalde also slammed the door on any negotiation with Angping by saying he doesn’t see any solution to the problem.

“What Mr. Elizalde did was also uncalled for. He should have been more discreet (if ever he took sides) because he is the IOC,” said the official.

The POC accused Angping of interfering with the Olympic charter and NSA affairs when he said he wants a say on the formation of the RP team to the Laos SEA Games in December.

“Where is government intervention there? Governments of other countries do that when they identify good athletes. The LGUs (local government units) do that here, too, when they look for their own athletes,” said the official.

Angping was also accused of discrimination when he said the practice of hiring foreign-based, foreign-trained athletes with Filipino blood for international competition should end.

But another official said in some cases, local athletes are the victims of discrimination since RP athletes based and training abroad get as much as $3,000 a month from the PSC while the locals here get P15,000 a month.

“A statement is just a statement,” said the sports official who knows his way around the POC.

Even Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who said Angping will stay on as PSC chief, said the latter’s statements are being misconstrued because no final decision has been made banning Fil-foreign athletes from the RP team.

“That resolution was an emotional outburst. What should be done now? They must sit down and discuss the issues as issues – not based on personalities,” added the POC official.