PASA election: Group slams swimming's 'sham' polls

MANILA, Philippines - Parents and coaches expressed indignation yesterday over an announcement of swimming president Mark Joseph, who is calling for an election of PASA today – 48 hours after his announcement – at an unspecified time and place “at the pretext of lending legitimacy to his questioned presidency of the national sports body”.

The announcement of the annual meeting of members and election was contained in a letter allegedly e-mailed to members of the swimming community by Joseph yesterday.

The Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines, led by lawyer Ma. Luz Arzaga Mendoza, questioned the legal authority of Joseph to call the election, which was actually long overdue. The ASAP is an umbrella organization of coaches, parents and swimmers that no longer recognize the leadership of Joseph, who they said was ordered by the Philippine Olympic Committee to call for an election as early as 2005 but did not. This is amidst allegations that during this period time he received tens of millions of pesos from Pagcor without the authority of the Philippine Sports Commission.

He remained in power until the present without the legitimacy of an election and held on to his post with the blessings of the POC, which never acted on repeated appeals by ASAP, parents and coaches to call for an election to settle once and for all the leadership issue that has divided Philippine swimming.

“In a feeble attempt to legitimize his questionable leadership, Joseph brazenly announced the holding of the annual meeting of members and PASA board of trustees on April 24,” the statement said.

“The truth of the matter is that PASA now and for the past five years, has no effective Board of Directors and no Executive Committee.

“It is being run single-handedly by Mark Joseph. The “board” now is, and has been for the past five years, at best, a “stamp pad”, leaving the whole affairs of PASA to Mark Joseph alone,” the statement said.

“This belated effort at rectifying blatant defects in his legitimacy as president must not be overlooked or glossed over. All these announcements should not be taken at face value, but rather as a miserable attempt to cure blatant defects of the past.

“The fact remains that an illegitimate president rules over PASA and therefore, any statement, order or directive issued by a questionable president has no legal effect whatsoever.

“Let us not be blinded by Mark Joseph’s false claims of glory. He would like to harp on his delusions of grandeur that PASA is one of the best NSAs in the country, when the fact remains that PASA has ceased to be the representative of the Philippine swimming community and has effectively been turned into his personal enterprise.

The ASAP had questioned the administration of funds under Joseph’s watch, notably the P20M fund from Pagcor, membership and tournament fees, subsidies from the international swimming federation (FINA), monthly grants from a corporate sponsor and other revenues for which he was required to make a financial report under the law.

Joseph remained “unbending” in his decision to suspend coaches and swimmers who compete in ASAP competitions and threatened Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan swimming associations which allow non-PASA members to compete.

He succeeded in preventing the participation of Filipino swimmers after he informed the organizers in Malaysia that the participants are age cheats, “rule-breakers and trouble makers.”

Joseph now faces criminal charges – for harassment of minors – and civil suits filed with the Quezon City prosecutor’s office.

“Membership is fragmented and genuine leadership is nil. He has created an atmosphere of fear, disunity and fragmentation in the swimming community by his threats and actual suspension of swimmers and athletes. This is the reality,” the statement said.