Five shooters seek last trip to Asiad

MANILA, Philippines - The approval from the Philippine Olympic Committee is not an assurance that the five Filipino shooters who came in as late inclusions to the RP team may compete in the Guangzhou Asian Games.

“It will still depend on the mood of the Guanzhou organizing committee,” said Jose Romasanta, the chef-de-mission of the 233-strong delegation out to improve on RP’s showing in Doha four years ago.

The POC forwarded the names of Michaela Padilla, Shanin Lyn Gonzalez, Alyanna Chuatoco and Charisse Palma, all of the developmental pool, and Hagen Alexander Topacio to Guangzhou the other day.

The submission of their names came way past the Sept. 30 deadline set by this year’s organizers, and was only done after the final approval and endorsement from the Philippine National Shooting Association.

Three shooters are already listed as official entries -- veteran Tac Padilla, Mark Manosca and Jason Valdez. Now, PNSA chief Arturo Macapagal wants two more included– trap shooters Jethro Dionisio and Eric Padilla.

Romasanta said Macapagal should make an appeal to the POC executive committee before their names are submitted to Guangzhou, adding that it was the same process taken for the five late inclusions.

“The inclusions of the five names were made faster only because everybody was present in yesterday’s POC general assembly. If Mr. Macapagal makes an appeal for the two others, we still need to convene the POC board,” he said.

“But I will no longer have any jurisdiction on that one. Best effort na lang dyan,” said the chef-de-mission, who fought off insinuations that he was favoring some athletes over the others regarding their inclusion to the RP team.

“We are not in the business of disqualifying athletes. We want as many athletes to qualify, but not to the extent that they will become burdens to the entire delegation,” Romasanta said.