Camacho unfazed; Cojuangco says politics behind PSC case

MANILA, Philippines - Julian Camacho, the former president of the Wushu Federation of the Philippines, said he’s ready to deal with the charges of estafa filed against him the other day by the Philippine Sports Commission.

“I am clean. My conscience is clear,” Camacho said in an interview over NBN-4 sports program Tele-Dyaryo yesterday.

Camacho is facing eight counts of estafa for authorizing the withdrawal of the salary and other benefits of a Chinese coach from the PSC even when the latter has already left the country.

Based on PSC records, Camacho authorized the withdrawal of P657,193 representing Ding Bao Yu’s montly salary of $1,000 and housing benefits of P27,000 from February to October last year.

Jose Cojuangco, the Philippine Olympic Committee president, said there’s politics behind the PSC move.

“Mr. Camacho can very well defend and explain himself. Considering the fractured relationship between the PSC and the POC, we cannot help but suspect that this move of the PSC is politically motivated,” said Cojuangco.

Camacho stood behind Cojuangco during the POC elections last November while PSC chair Harry Angping was solidly behind shooting president Art Macapagal who lost a very close fight to Cojuangco.

The PSC checked with the Bureau of Immigration and found out that Ding, who arrived in the country on Dec. 11, 2007, left on Jan. 18, 2008. For the next eight months, the WFP managed to withdraw his salary.

But Camacho said the federation was only trying to recover or recoup the advance payments they had on behalf of the Chinese coach. He said Ding was paid $1,500 a month even if the PSC only released $1,000 a month.

“The federation made advances of almost $10,000, and the equaivalent of what we got from the PSC later on was only $9,000. Eveything is on paper. I am meeting with my lawyers later,” said the wushu official.

Angping said if this was Camacho’s explanation, then why did he have to wait for the case to be filed when he was requested to explain more than two weeks ago.

“And in the first place it’s not an excuse for the continued withdrawal of the salary of the Chinese coach when he was no longer in the country. Now everything will have to go through the legal process,” said Angping.

Camacho said he has yet to receive the summon from the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.

Then he clarified that any financial assistance coming from the PSC goes directly to the account of the WFP, and from there they are being distributed to the coaches and athletes, and spent on other needs of the federation.

“I did not get anything, not a single centavo from the amount that was mentioned. Everything goes to the coaches and athletes. And everything is documented,” Camacho said.

It was the first time that the PSC has filed an estafa case against an NSA (national sports association) official.

Meanwhile, the PSC has agreed to shell out P2 million for the uniforms, airfare and allowances of the Filipino athletes and coaches who will vie in the first Asian Youth Games (14-17 years) in Singapore on June 27-July 7.

Angping said he cannot turn his back on the young athletes even if the Philippine Olympic Committee was late in filing the formal request for a P7 million funding for the 70 athletes and 30 officials.

Angping said the 10 sports associations forwarded their requests to the POC as early as last February but the POC sent them to the PSC only last May 15.

“The POC thinks we’re an ATM machine. We cannot just give them the P7 million with no idea whom we are sending. The POC keeps on saying that they have tapped their own marketing program and they want to be self-reliant. Maybe they can start with this P7 million,” said Angping.

Still, the PSC said it will earmark P2 million for the event.

“This is how the PSC stands by its commitment to the athletes,” Angping said.