3. 20th Leg Series P.S.L. (LONG COURSE)
Swimming Competition
March 11, 2012-Bosay Resort, Antipolo City
PSC opens
swim pool for PSL tankers (The Philippine Star) Updated January 23, 2012 12:00
AM
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission
chairman Richie Garcia has opened the Rizal Memorial swimming pool for
the free use of the Philippine Swimming League for its national and
international competitions leading to the 2013 Universiade in Khazan,
Russia.
The move came after the Federation of School Sports Associations reached
an agreement with PSL to conduct competitions to select the national
team for the Universiade, also known as the University Games.
The Universiade, which has participants from colleges and universities
in over 156 countries, is a multi-sport competition like the Summer
Olympics.
For many years, the Philippines has not been represented in the
Universiade, except last year when FESSAP was invited to send a
delegation to Shenzhen, China.
The FESSAP is the accredited country member of the International
University Sports Federation (FISU), which organizes the Universiade.
Under an agreement with PSL officials, former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and
founder and president Susan Papa, the PSC will make available the newly
renovated 50-meter RMSC swimming pool for the exclusive use of the PSL
to conduct national or international competitions on March 17-18, May
19-20, Aug. 11-12 and Nov. 24-25.
The PSL has in place a 12-month circuit consisting of age group and open
tournaments which culminate in the grand finals among leg winners in
December.
“We thank chairman Garcia for giving us the opportunity to compete in
the Rizal Memorial pool,” said Coseteng. “Through our competitions,
swimmers regardless of affiliations can participate and we invite all
college students to take advantage of the program.
“This is a chance for college students who have not participated in
international competitions like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games
and Olympics,” she added.
Qualified students will form the national pool which will be trained by
foreign and local coaches.
Papa said the PSL has already touched base with a group of Fil-American
coaches for the training of selected swimmers in California this year.
DPS tankers
swim for charity in C de Oro (The Philippine Star) Updated January 22, 2012 12:00
AM
The
competition, originally set this weekend, was postponed to give swimmers
from Mindanao enough time to prepare for the event which kicks off the
monthly swimming circuit organized by the Philippine Swimming League.
Despite the calamity that hit the city, Gov. Oscar Moreno offered the
free use of the pool for children competing in various age groups – 6
years, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-17 and 18-over.
Coseteng and the DPS tankers – Doragos siblings Sam Andrei (8 years),
Portia Kate (11) and John Carlo (13), Kyle Mendoza (13), Naomi Corpus
(11) and Ariene Macaso (14) – will also do volunteer jobs for the
victims of Typhoon Sendong.
Coseteng said those who would like to help in the volunteer effort may
bring their donations to the DPS on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
“Through this swimming event, we also hope to reinforce bonds of
friendship among our youth and create better understanding for an
everlasting peace within the region,” said Coseteng.
Coseteng and Philippine Swimming League president Susan Papa work hand
in hand to provide what they call “the best program possible for
swimmers to further develop their individual potentials so they will
reach a higher level of competitiveness and eventually become
world-class swimmers.”
“Our objective is also to develop our youth as fully integrated members
of society – not just to promote swimming as a sport but also to develop
the young generation,” said Papa. “The DPS tankers are not only winning
swimmers but honor students as well.”
“With the help of coaches Alvin Benasa, Rey Balandra, Edward Maut from
Cagayan de Oro, Jun Rodriguez of Davao, Leroy Geoff of Zamboanga and
coach Ecleo of Surigao, we can expect hundreds of participants in the
competition,” she added.
“Our continuous effort of
developing our young swimmers will allow them to develop their skills
and strength,” said Coseteng, “This will sustain their interest and
motivate them to continue using their time for healthy and constructive
pursuits.”
NCRAA swim
meet up for Universiade (The Philippine Star) Updated January 15, 2012 12:00
AM
MANILA, Philippines - College, high school and
elementary students will have the chance to show their wares in the NCR
Athletic Association swimming competitions set Feb. 4 at the 50-meter
swimming pool of La Salle Dasmariņas in Cavite.
NCRAA president Gerry Sergio has asked Philippine Swimming League
president and founder Susan Papa to open the competition to all students
nationwide in line with the PSL’s talent identification program designed
to select Filipino swimmers for the 2013 Universiade in Russia.
Regular competitors are Emilio Aguinaldo, Olivarez College, Rizal
Technological School, Philippine School of Business Administration and
host La Salle Dasmariņas.
Papa said competition will be held on the college, high school (13-15
years) and elementary levels (11-12 and 10-under). Gold, silver and
bronze medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each event.
“The competition targets schools, swimming clubs, associations and
organizations nationwide and aims to identify swimmers as part of our
continuing developmental program,” said Papa.
Former Sen. and current Diliman Preparatory School president Nikki
Coseteng has been working with the PSL to provide opportunities to young
swimmers in our country, said Papa.
“The competition will also be part of our basis for the selection of the
collegiate national team for the 2013 Universiade,” Papa added---.
Entries may be emailed to philswimleague@hotmail.com
WHILE we all commend President
Benigno Aquino III for his passionate drive to rid the country of graft
and corruption, although there are those who question some of the
methods adopted claiming they may not be in keeping with strict
requirements of the law and rules and regulations such as in the case of
the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, we look up
to the President to also act decisively on the allegations of corruption
and misdeeds in sports.
This becomes even more imperative since the President’s uncle, Jose
“Peping” Cojuangco is the head of the Philippine Olympic Committee and
Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia was appointed by
President Aquino, reportedly on the recommendation of uncle “Peping.”
Both men presided over the Philippines’ disastrous sixth-place finish in
the recent Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and, as always, blamed the
lack of funds for the debacle.
Ironically, such a lack of funds has been aggravated in recent years by
the failure of several National Sports Associations to liquidate funds
advanced to them by the PSC or to return unspent money. Even the
Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee, headed by
Cojuangco and POC chairman Monico Puentevella, face serious charges
filed against them by former PSC chairman Harry Angping, which have
apparently been sitting in the Office of the Ombudsman since 2009.
While Mr. Cojuangco was elected by a single vote majority over Arturo
Macapagal with the decisive hand being played by athletics and taekwondo
head Go Teng Kok, it’s Go, who is now leading the charge against
Cojuangco and his favored ones in the POC executive committee, such as
chairman Puentevella, aquatics head Mark Joseph, Julian Camacho of wushu
and others.
Garcia, some weeks ago, reported that 58 National Sports Associations
had failed to liquidate over P130.6 million in financial assistance
under his chairmanship, which began in mid 2010.
A favorite target of former Sen. Nikki Coseteng, who is passionately
pushing for a total revamp in swimming, Mark Joseph, heads the list of
NSAs with huge amounts unliquidated. Joseph’s NSA heads the list with
P10,526.638, which includes previous unliquidated obligations of P4.9
million. Other NSAs in a bind are wushu with P7,967,254, gymnastics
P6,654,044, shooting P5,674, 931, chess P5,430,138,volleyball P5,179,330
and football/futsal P5,014, 331.
In fact, Angping claims that the only NSA which had failed to liquidate
funds during his time was that of Joseph, who had earlier violated
specific rules and regulations when he directly received P30 million
from former PAGCOR chairman Ephraim Genuino for swimming. The Senate
held hearings on this case, but we are not aware of any action taken.
Initially, while he released a rundown of NSA cash advances ostensibly
for the purchase of equipment and other needs, chairman Garcia in a
follow-up statement regrettably released only some names of the
delinquent NSAs, but conveniently excluded those whose heads belonged to
the POC executive committee and were known to be close to Cojuangco. If
Garcia merely wanted to show his gratitude to Cojuangco for helping him
keep his job as PSC chairman, it certainly doesn’t fit into the moral
fabric that President Aquino is weaving for our nation and for which he
wants public support.
But even more damaging than all this is the fact that up to now, the
Ombudsman has apparently failed to act on the charges filed by former
Angping against Cojuangco and Puentevella which he alleges covered more
than P50 million and in his words “is really plunder.” Are we witness to
a double standard of justice?
We fervently hope that President Aquino, in his consuming desire to nail
former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband Mike Arroyo and
Chief Justice Corona, hasn’t overlooked the fact that his uncle himself
has had a plunder charge seemingly stagnating in the Ombudsman’s Office
for the past two years according to Angping, who was worried that it
would eventually end up in the archives.
We do not doubt President Aquino’s sincerity in going after those
involved in alleged graft and corruption. He is clearly banking on the
support of a vast majority of our people, whose welfare has been ruined
by wholesale thievery. But, with all due respect to the President, he
cannot be selective in his pursuit of justice although, in fairness to
him, he may not be even aware that a case against his uncle has been
gathering dust in the Ombudsman’s Office.
FESSAP holds national swimming
tryouts for 2013 Universiade (The Philippine Star) Updated January 08, 2012 12:00
MANILA, Philippines - The
Federation of School Sports Associations of the Philippines is starting
the selection process for swimming in summer for its participation in
the 2013 World Universiade in Russia.
The FESSAP reached an agreement with the Philippine Swimming League
under former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and founder Susan Papa for the holding
of the first phase of the screening process, dubbed All-Star University
Challenge, slated March 24-25 at the Rizal Memorial Swimming pool.
The FESSAP said it wanted to choose the very best from the collegiate
ranks to represent the Philippines in the Universiade, considered the
Olympics for universities and colleges throughout the world, following
the medalless performance of the swimming team sent last year to
Shenzhen, China.
Qualified students will form the national pool which will be trained by
foreign and local coaches for a year before the Universiade.
A final selection committee, to be formed by FESSAP, will determine the
final composition of the national team through national time trials in
the months leading to the Universiade.
“This is a chance for varsity students, who have not participated in
international events like the SEA Games and Asian Games, to fight for
their country in a prestigious event like the Universiade, the highest
competition for students worldwide,” said Papa. “The 2013 Universiade is
a great sporting gala and a festival of youth as well.”
“ We want to prepare for it as early as now and we look forward to the
participation of every college student,” said Papa.
“We are glad of this PSL set up of preparing candidates for the
Universiade swimming events as early as now,” said FESSAP EVP Robert
Calo.
The Universiade events are the men’s and women’s 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m,
800m and 1500m freestyle, 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke, 50m, 100m and
200m backstroke, 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m individual
medley and 4 x 50m, 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m freestyle relay and 4 x 50m,
4x100 and 4x200m medley relay.
“The Universiade is participated in by 205 countries and I sincerely
hope a lot of college students will participate in this Olympic-like
event,” said FESSAP president David Ong.
Coseteng, who actively supports Philippine swimming, has encouraged
schools to participate in the national trials.
“I encourage all college and secondary students and all universities to
participate in the trials, which will be an all-university championship
because it brings together the finest of the collegiate ranks,” she
said.
Coordinating the selection process is University of the Philippines head
coach Noel Rivera, who mentors the UAAP defending champion UP women’s
squad.
Busy year
for Phl Swimming League (The Philippine Star) Updated January 02, 2012
12:00 AM
MANILA,
Philippines - The Philippine Swimming League continues its successful
grassroots program with another busy schedule this year starting with
the first UP Varsity Team sprint meet on Jan. 22 at the Diliman
Preparatory School on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
PSL president Susan Papa said the event, organized by UP head coach Noel
Rivera, ushers in the 12-leg PSL Circuit which kicks off seven days
later, on Jan. 29, at the 50-meter pool of the Amoranto Sports Complex
in Quezon City.
Host of the competition, the 19th leg on the PSL
calendar which got underway over a year ago, is coach Ed Galeno.
Former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and Susan Papa
The circuit, which has the full support of sports patron and former Sen.
Nikki Coseteng, shifts Feb. 12 to typhoon-struck Cagayan de Oro where
the players and officials will also take time off to donate clothes and
goods to victims of the recent tragedy.
“Those who would like to help in the nationwide disaster effort can
donate through the PSL, which will distribute them in the disaster
areas,” said Papa.
A week later, the PSL holds the 20th leg in Lucena, with Gov. David
“Jayjay” Suarez as host and coach Virgilio de Luna as local coordinator.
The 21st leg is slated March 10-11 in the 10-lane Bosay Swimming pool in
Antipolo, with coach Emer Matienzo as host.
The next month, coach Buddy Maulion is hosting the 22nd leg to be held
April 14 in Calapan, Mindoro.
The PSL Circuit takes a break in May to hold the PSL National Open May
19-20 at the Rizal Memorial pool. It will hold the annual summer
learn-to-swim program at the DPS on June 3. The project is a brainchild
of DPS president and former Sen. Nikki Coseteng.
The circuit resumes June 10 with the PSL short course competition in
Cavite, with coach Junneth Abesamis as host.
Another regional meet will be held in Cagayan de Oro on June 23, with
different teams in Mindanao competing.
Other legs on the PSL calendar are the 25th leg July 22 in Pasay (host
coach Nunilon), 27th leg Sept. 16 at DPS with the Philippine Swimming
Coaches Association as host, the 28th leg Oct. 28 in Cavite (host Sea
Beast Swim team coach Noy Fileteo), and the 29th leg Nov. 17-18 at DPS.
Papa said the PSL will, for the first time, hold international
competitions this year, with initial participants to come from
Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam and
Malaysia.
“We are starting our international events this year to give young boys
and girls a feel of international competition at an early age with
minimal cost to their parents,” said Papa.
Papa said the PSL is holding the international meets on a reciprocal
basis, in return for the invitation the foreign clubs had extended to
the PSL during the last five years.
At the same time, Papa said Filipino swimmers will now have the chance
to train under coaches and clubs of their choice and may compete in any
of the PSL meets regardless of whether they are PSL members or not.
“The PSL adheres to the Sports For All policy of government, and in line
with this, we encourage swimmers and would-be swimmers to become the
best they want to be through our free-membership programs,” she said.
Papa, a former Olympian and Asian Games medalist, added that the PSL
will also be busy with its street children outreach program during the
entire year.
“The swimmers we will recruit from the street children program will be a
big revelation. Watch out for these kids, you’ll be amazed,” she said.
Former PSC Commissioner, Tisha Abundo (left)
has founded the Women's Sports Association of the Philippines to promote
the sports for women in line with the Olympic Movement's Women in
Sports. Abundo, a former volleyball Asian gamer whose currently the
athletic director of the Philippine School of Business Administration,
has named Philippine Swimming League President, Susan Papa (right) as
her acting Secretary General.
Young champs
twinkle in Coseteng Cup (The Philippine Star) Updated December 24, 2011 12:00
AM Comments
MANILA, Philippines - For the past three decades or so, the Philippines
had depended on Filipino-American swimmers in all international swimming
competitions like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and even the
Olympic Games.
Hopefully, this will no longer be the case soon as results of the recent
first Sen. Nikki Coseteng Swimming Championships had indicated where
more than a dozen young, talented and local born pool sharks had been
discovered with the end in view of wearing the national colors in future
international commitments.
Kids take off in one of the events of the Coseteng Cup national
age group
championships at the Rizal Memorial swimming pool. JUN MENDOZA
Leading those spotted during the one-day swimfest held last Saturday in
coordination with the Philippine Swimming League and the Diliman
Preparatory School and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission are
versatile Paula Cayanan and Kevin Claveria.
Cayanan, only 12 and swimming out of the Joey Andaya Seagulls Team,
emerged triumphant in all four events she competed in, surpassing three
national PSL records in the process besides meeting, too, the
motivational United States AAAA standard in one.
The pint-sized pool marvel swam the 50-meter freestyle in a new PSL mark
of 28.59 seconds, breaking the US AAAA standard of 29.69. Her winning
time was a mere second shy of the Philippine record held by Philippine
team member Jasmine Alkaidi.
Her effort was also better than the 29 seconds registered by the winner
of the same event in the 13-14 age category of the swimming competition
in the much-ballyhooed Batang Pinoy.
The US swim standards prescribed in all events contested were made as
target for competitors to gauge their future in their chosen
disciplines, according to Olympian and PSL president Susan Papa.
Cayanan, likewise, emerged victorious in the 100 and 200-meter
individual medley in PSL record clocking and in the 100m backstroke in a
rare display of versatility.
“As we in the PSL have been saying, we have so many talents but they
remain untapped because they are not allowed to compete in PASA
(Philippine Aquatic Sports Association, formerly Philippine Amateur
Swimming Association) tournaments since the present administration took
over,” Papa said during the awards ceremony attended by PSC chair Richie
Garcia.
“The reason why we set the US AAAA standards as motivation is precisely
to determine how our swimmers can go in international competitions,”
Papa, an Asian Games medalist during the 70s, said.
“Paula, having breached the standard in her event, sure, can go far as
far as carrying our nation’s flag in future international meets, be
these the SEA Games, Asian Games and even the Olympics,“ she added.
Claveria, 15, of the Diliman Preparatory School team, was voted most
outstanding boy swimmer on the strength of his triumph in the 100m
butterfly and the 100 freestyle, also in record times.
Claveria’s 1:01.10 in winning the 100m butterfly exceeded US AAA
qualifying standard of 1:02.09.
More than 400 swimmers from 52 schools all over the country, including
UAAP and NCAA members, took part in what turned out as the biggest
gathering of pool aces in many years. It was also the first swimming
competition held by a non-PASA group at the Rizal Memorial Sports
Complex pool.
Other talents discovered who besides winning their respective events had
also broken PSL marks and breached the US AA and AAA standards were
Priscila Aquino of the University of the Philippines, Sean Terence
Zamora of Immaculate Concepcion Academy, Julia Torres of K3 Aquaspeed,
Maria Siuso of Bosay Aquatics Club, Limfilipino Janiko of St. Jude
Catholic School, siblings Denjylie and Delia Angela Cordero of DPS,
Jerome Magallanes of La Salle, Keiffer Piccio of Susan Papa Swim
Academy, Benedict Genetra of Raging Paddlers of Mindoro, Skyler Claveria
of Dennis Cordero Swim Club, Jose Gabriel Lavina of Lyceum Varsity Team
and Christen Mercado of E. S. Galeno Team.
“First, I would like to thank the parents, the school authorities and
all the swim clubs for sending their children here and allowing them to
participate in this undertaking, which proved that given a good program,
they will not hesitate taking part in the interest of Philippine
swimming,” said former Sen. Nikki Coseteng in whose honor the meet was
held in celebration of her 59th birthday.
“I would also want to thank the PSC and chairman Richie Garcia for
allowing us to use the Rizal Memorial swimming facilities, a first in
many years for a non-PASA member like us. We just hope that this effort
of ours, including our sponsors, is just the beginning of bigger things
for Philippine swimming, whose management is in the wrong hands for such
a long time,” she added during the award ceremony.
“If before we were represented by Fil-Ams in international competitions
because of the lack of a development program, that will be a thing of
the past. First, the Fil-Ams recruited by PASA are gone as proven in the
last SEA Games where our swimmers went home carrying a big flat egg,”
the feisty former lawmaker said.
“Second, we had just proven that right here in our shore, we have so
many talents that only need to be discovered, trained and polished to
carry the country’s flag in future international meets. Hindi lamang ang
swimming ang may problema. Lahat ng sports magulo. Magkaisa-isa tayo,
magkapit bisig, na linisin ang sports (swimming is not the only sport
with a big problem. All sports are in chaos. Let’s unite to clean it),”
Coseteng declared.
Bosay
bets shine in swimfest By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
December 18, 2011, 10:31pm
In the picture: Bosay Aquatic Club of Antipolo Top Swimmers-Maria
Enjie Siso, Sam Mendoza and Bhay Newberry with Coach Emer
MANILA,
Philippines — Bosay Aquatic Club stamped its class by winning three gold
medals in the morning session of the first Sen. Nikki Coseteng Swimming
Championship yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Robin Serranillo and Joshua Viloria shared the top honors in the boys’
8-year-olds 50-meter backstroke after posting similar times of 45.69
seconds. Bhay Newberry also made her presence felt by winning the girls’
8-yearsold 50m butterfly class in 43.83sec.
Bosay, represented mostly by Antipolo bets, also won a bronze courtesy
of Russell Serranillo, who clocked
48.09sec behind Jermaine Ocampo of the Don Bosco
Joshua Villoria, Robin Serranillo and Russel
Serranillo
Seawolves Swim Team (47.12sec) and Jay Bornasal of R3 Aquaspeed Sailfish
Swim Team (47.25sec) in the boys' 9-yo 50m back.
Other early winners were Diliman Prep’s Sam Doragos (girls’ 9-yo 50m
fly), Surigao Swim Club’s Czaree Pospia (girls’ 10-yo 50m fly), Blue
Python Swim Team’s Charles Chia (boys’ 6-yo 50m back), R3 Aquaspeed’s
Vaughn Aquino (boys’ 7-yo 50m back) and Lipa City Mediatrix Swim Club’s
Khiel Libat (boys’ 10-yo 50m back). Afternoon events are being held at
presstime.
Pospia
earns 3 golds in 1st Coseteng tilt Published : Monday, December 19, 2011 00:00
Written by : JOSEF T. RAMOS CORRESPONDENT
Swimmers compete with each other as they participate at the 1st Nikki
Coseteng Swimming Championship at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Pasay
City on Sunday. PHOTO BY MIGUEL DE GUZMAN
CHILD wonder Czaree Cassidy Pospia showed her huge potential as a future
national swimmer by collecting three gold medals in the first Sen. Nikki
Coseteng Swimming Championship on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Swimming
Sports Complex.
The Surigao City native Pospia, 10, captured the gold medals in the
girls’ 10-year-old 50-meter butterfly, 50-m backstroke and 50-m
freestyle events to rule the one-day event organized by the Philippine
Swimming League (PSL).
“I always try my best in all competitions because I want to be a future
national swimmer someday who represents our country to any international
competitions,” said Pospia, who was also named as Most Valuable Player
of Visayas and Davao national meets this year. Pospia, who is considered
one of the promising swimmers from the south, clocked a leading time of
36.82 in the butterfly 50 m, 41.00 in backstroke 50 m and 34.00 in
freestyle 50 meter events to take home the three gold medals.
“She is very impressive with her,” said Nikki Coseteng, who is a current
benefactor of swimming sport. “I’m sure if she will be given a proper
program, I’m pretty sure she’ll be on top of any international swimming
meets someday.”
Coseteng, who also celebrated her birthday, expressed gratitude to more
than 400 participating swimmers nationwide particularly from different
provinces. There were 50 clubs composed of schools and various swimming
clubs around the country have participated.
“I just expecting 16 teams but we have 50 teams from different parts of
the Philippines,” said Coseteng. “I’m really flattered. I’m not doing
this because I’m running for a senatorial seat or I want to be a PASA
[Philippine Aquatics Sports Association]. I’m doing this for all
Filipino swimmers.”
In other final results, club Aquaspeed Sailfish Swim Team’s Julia Torres
gained the gold medal in the girl’s 11 to 12 200-m Individual Medley by
a time of 2:46.16 that put Paula Cayanan (2:46. 81) of Joey Andaya
Seagulls and Maria Siso (2:48.78) in the second and third place.
In the boy’s 11-12 Individual Medley, Ianiko Limfilipino timed in
2:44.12 to win the gold and place Sean Zamora and Nico Garcia in the
second and third place with a time of 2:44.28 and 2:54.62, respectively.
58 NSAs pile
up P130.6 M in unliquidated financial aid By June Navarro
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:58 am | Thursday, December 15th, 2011
MANILA, Philippines—A total of 58 National Sports Associations (NSAs)
have a combined P130.6 million in unliquidated cash advances that the
government is asking them to settle immediately.
Aquatics, whose swimmers failed to win a single gold
medal in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia, owns the biggest
unliquidated amount of P10,526,638.
Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia has released a
directive ordering the NSAs to liquidate said advances before the end of
the year or risk having their requests for financial assistance turned
down by the government sports-funding agency.
Part of the unliquidated amount of aquatics (P4,932,106), which is
headed by POC deputy secretary general Mark Joseph, came before Garcia
assumed
office. The breakdown of unliquidated assistance includes: swimming
(P8,066,537), diving (P752,981), water polo (P1,513,022) and
synchronized swimming (P194,096).
Some of the NSAs with huge amounts of unliquidated advances include
those that also failed to win a gold in the SEA Games: Gymnastics
(P6,654,044), shooting (P5,674,931), volleyball (P5,179,330), football/futsal
(P5,014,331), leadership-torn karatedo (P4,863,921), wrestling
(P4,521,280), weightlifting (P4,313,545), muay (P3,536,144), sailing
(P3,279,203), table tennis (P3,066,635), pencak silat (P2,351,303) and
windsurfing (P2,178,428).
Other NSAs that have big amounts to liquidate are wushu (P7,967,254),
canoe-kayak (P5,654,863), chess (P5,430,138), judo (P4,447,668),
athletics (P4,530,730), archery (P4,129,440), cycling (P4,649,625),
fencing (P2,470,934), bowling (P2,349,106) and softball (P2,303,170).
“If the NSAs don’t liquidate by the end of the year, they will not get
any assistance next year,” said Garcia. “They have until the end of this
month to settle their accounts.”
Baseball, which struck gold in the Palembang SEA Games, has no financial
liability with the government as well as hand ball, ice skating,
petanque and rugby football, based on the document certified by PSC
chief accountant Rosalina Colendrino on Nov. 30.
Advances by Little League Philippines, where PSC commissioner Jolly
Gomez is an official, have reached P2,950,000 and remained unsettled
until now.
Pinoy swimmers
shine in Bangkok age group (The Philippine Star) Updated December 12, 2011 12:00
AM
in the picture:
PSL Pres. Susan Papa with the winning swimmers and coaches Emer Matienzo,
Al Papa, Dr. Susan Benasa, Nunilon Moreno, Dave San Juan and swimmers
after the 3-day competition ending as an Over-All Champion for Visiting
Team with four outstanding swimmers in their age category at PATANA,
Bangkok Swimming Competion.
MANILA, Philippines - Nine-year-old Hannah Sartorio bagged eight gold
medals at the forefront of a brilliant finish by swimmers from the
Diliman Preparatory School and Philippine Swimming League at the close
of the Patana Age Group Swimming Championships in Bangkok yesterday.
Sartorio also won two silver medals. Kiefer Piccio also had eight gold
medals to emerge second best Filipino performer.
In all, the Filipino swimmers supported by DPS president and former Sen.
Nikki Coseteng took home a haul of 24-18-17 gold-silver-bronze medals,
making the Philippines the best-finishing foreign team in the tournament
which drew participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and
Great Britain.
Other winners were Bhay Newberry with five golds, three silvers and one
bronze, Joy Rodgers with four golds, two silvers and one bronze and Viel
Vitug with one gold.
Members of the 4x100 medley relay team that won the gold were Armie
Alcantara, Joy Rodgers, Patricia Talavera and Maria Siso. Gold medalists
from the 4x100 freestyle are Hans Ramos, Matthew Tan, JayPee de Leoz and
Emmanuel Adornado.
Other medal winners were Samantha Mendoza, Namahig Asa Mahiwo, Jea
Talavera, Abdulrahim Nooh, Aerbeen Almoneda, Ashley Rances, JV Llaguno,
Fergino Raneses and Aaron John Solestre.
“The competitors were strong, but the kids lived up to the challenge,”
said PSL president Susan Papa.
PSC’s
Chairman Garcia and swimming reforms Published : Tuesday, November 29, 2011 00:00 -
manilatimes.net
SOMETHING dramatic has begun to happen in the world of Philippine
swimming as a competition sport. On December 18, the 1st Nikki Coseteng
Swimming Championships will be held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum’s
Olympic-size swimming pool.
This is a dramatic sports event not because it is one named after an
educator who is a sportswoman and a sports-reform activist, former
senator Nikki Coseteng.
Ms. Coseteng has been at the forefront—with Coach Susan Papa, Atty.
Maria Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, Dr. Susan Benasa, and other coaches and
parents with the Save PASA movement—of the crusade to reform the
Philippine Aquatic Sports Association (PASA). PASA is the Philippine
Olympic Committee-accredited national sports association for swimming.
In the hands of PASA, which has been in the grip of its head Mark Joseph
these past seven years, Philippine swimming as a sport has deteriorated
heartbreakingly.
From top to zero
medallist
Swimming is a sport in which the Filipinos used to be among the top gold
medallists. These past many years, the Philippine swimming teams sent to
international and regional competitions have been among the cellar
dwellers. We have fared miserably not only in the Asian Games and the
Olympics. But more tragically for the international reputation and the
development of sports in our country is that we have fared so badly even
in such relatively small international events as the age-group swimming
heats in Palembang two months ago and just last week in the Southeast
Asean Games (SEAG), in which only 11 countries contended for medals and
the championship.
Even in swimming contests outside the purview of the IFs (the
international federations under the International Olympic Committee),
where Philippine swimmers not accredited by PASA and therefore
unrecognised by the Philippine Olympic Committee have participated, PASA
has caused children-athletes pain, heartbreak and humiliation.
Possible Filipino champions from non-PASA-member clubs were prevented
from swimming because the PASA head maliciously warned the Malaysian
organizers that the swimmers of the Philippine contingent were possibly
carrying fake passports and accreditation documents. Some swimmers who
had actually swum and won medals, like those who participated in
Australian events, were stripped of the medals they had won because of
PASA’s interventions.
Happily there are international meets, such as the university games and
the Singapore-organized invitational matches, whose organizers don’t pay
attention to the interventions of PASA and Mr. Mark Joseph. In these
events Filipino swimmers have won medals and clocked records better than
the PASA-dispatched swimmers to the recent SEAG. Most of these winning
swimmers were sent by the Philippine Swimming League and the Diliman
Preparatory School.
The PASA-policy of having only swimmers on its membership lists recorded
as “legitimate” athletes has even caused grief to young swimmers hoping
to prove their worth in city-wide Mayors’ Cup swimming contests. The
meet organizers in Bicol cities, obedient to the instructions of the
PASA, which they know is the body officially recognized by the
Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee,
refused to let their own local swimmers participate.
PSC Chair’s
inclusivity order circumvented
Under the Aquino administration, Chairman Ritchie Garcia of the
Philippine Sports Commission in fact instructed Mark Joseph and PASA to
make its events inclusive. Mr. Garcia wanted to allow non-PASA members
to join heats and contests as long as these swimmers were qualified. But
Mr. Joseph still managed to get his way by imposing a rule that the
qualifications of all swimmers—PASA and non-PASA members alike—would be
determined by their showings as found in the PASA database. Of course,
only PASA members wound up being qualified for the simple reason that
non-PASA swimmers’ records were not in the PASA database.
Mark Joseph-PASA’s absolute control of swimming as a sport has, until
this time, included the use of government swimming pools and facilities.
The managers of the government owned venues, like the Rizal Memorial
Coliseum, for a long time now have refused to hold events in their
facilities without the approval of PASA-Mark Joseph.
That the Nikki Coseteng Swimming Championship on December 18 will be
held at Rizal Memorial is what makes it a dramatic and palpable sign
auguring more reforms in our country’s sports situation.
PSC’s order allowing the Philippine Swimming League and the Diliman
Preparatory School, whose coaches are anathema to PASA-Mark Joseph, to
use Rizal Memorial shows that the Philippine Sports Commission under
Chairman Ritche Garcia is moving to release Philippine swimming from the
deleterious control of Mark Joseph’s and PASA’s rules.
Mr. Garcia deserves to be lauded and encouraged. For the PASA rules and
what has been happening in Philippine swimming under Mark Joseph’s
leadership, go against President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s Daang Matuwid
(Righteous Path) policies.
Hold a tournament
between PSL-DPS and PASA
The December 18 championship will be the selection process of the
Philippine Swimming League’s top 16 swimmers in the Philippines.
PASA has it selection too, doesn’t it? These were the swimmers who were
sent to last week’s SEAG.
It would be a great sports event to pit the PSL-DPS champions who will
emerge on December 18 against a counterpart PASA-Mark Joseph selection.
If one believes the claims made by PASA-Mark Joseph, their swimmers are
supposed to be better-trained and better coached. They should also be
better fed and happier because they receive allowances and other forms
of monetary and material support from the Philippine Sports Commission
and even directly from various donors.
Chairman Ritchie Garcia would be giving our country a great sports
treat—and boosting the improvement of Philippine swimming—by pushing for
a contest between PSL-DPS and Mark Joseph-PASA champions.
We are almost sure PAGCOR would be more than happy to sponsor the event
and provide the trophies and cash prizes.
Best youth
tankers clash in Coseteng meet By Olmin Leyba (The Philippine Star) Updated November
29, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - More than 400 promising swimmers, who have logged
the best times throughout the year, will converge in the 1st Nikki
Coseteng Swimming Championship on Dec. 18 at the Rizal Memorial Swimming
Pool to determine top age-group tankers of 2011.
Representing 42 teams with some coming from Bohol, Cagayan, Cebu,
Zamboanga, Davao and Baguio, the tankers in the 11-12, 13-14, 15-17, and
18-and-over age brackets will vie for honors in the 200m individual
medley, 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 100m
butterfly, and 50m freestyle events.
According to event organizers former senator Nikki Coseteng of Diliman
Preparatory School (DPS) and Susan Papa of Philippine Swimming League (PSL),
the top 16 swimmers in each of the six events were selected for the
one-day swimfest based on their previous times.
“This will be the first time for a Top 16 Competition to be held in the
Philippines and we aim to select the overall top male and female for the
year, as part of our continuous grassroots development program,”
Coseteng said in a press launch yesterday.
US age-group standards were also set to give the swimmers a higher
target time to aspire for.
“We’re using the American standard, not the SEA Games standard because
we’re 10 years behind in swimming. This way, even if we miss the mark,
we’d still have competitive times in the Asian level,” said Papa.
Among the prominent tankers in the field are James Walker of the UP
Varsity team, who has met the “AAA” US standard in the boys’ 18-over
200m free and 100m back, and “AAA” holders Andrei Manzo (boys 15-17 100m
breast), Danjylie Cordero (girls 18-over 100m breast), Teohdy Gavino
(boys 18-over 100m breast), Nikita Dacera (boys 18-over 200m free),
Jacklyn Orig and Loren Echavez (girls 15-17 100 fly), Pricila Aquino and
Trisha Isabelos (girls 13-14 50m free).
Swimmers were selected and invited to the event regardless of
affiliation, they stressed.
“We have 20-plus PASA members swimming here,” said Papa, referring to
the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) with which the
organizers have a spat over the way the sport is being managed.
Coseteng said there is a need for a genuine reform in Philippine
swimming to restore its glory years, especially in the wake of the
swimming team’s two-silver, five-gold performance in the 26th Southeast
Asian Games.
“I hope they learned their lessons and open their eyes. This is not a
wakeup call but a wakeup scream,” Coseteng said.
PSL-Ibalong
tankers outclass PASA-Mayon (The Philippine Star) Updated November 28, 2011 12:00
AM Comments
Ibalong Magayon Aquagliders Swim Club (IMASC) swimmers, from left,
Matthew Tan, Trisha Oliveros, JV Llaguno and Jea Talavera, are among the
gold medal holders during the Legazpi division meet staged by DepEd. The
swimmers will compete in Bangkok, Thailand next month
MANILA, Philippines - The PSL-Ibalong Magayon Swimming Club prevailed
over the PASA-Mayon Swimming Club in a dual meet between members of the
Philippine Swimming League and the Philippine Amateur Swimming
Association last week at the Bicol University Swimming Sports Complex.
The three-day competition, held Nov. 24-26, was conducted to determine
the Legazpi City selection for the Palarong Pambansa.
Swimmers from both clubs, which had been at war since the implementation
of the policy of “unauthorized relations” by PASA, had to join the city
tryouts ordered by Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal.
The PASA-Mayon Swimming Club insisted that only its members could
represent Legazpi City in the Palarong Pambansa under a PASA policy
limiting entry to competitions only to PASA members.
The “unauthorized relations” policy of PASA prevents non-members from
joining swimming competitions. In the same manner, PASA members are not
authorized to compete side by side with non-members.
The policy had created an animosity between both clubs since the PASA
club refused to allow PSL members, who are non-PASA members, to compete
in the city competitions on two occasions in the past six months.
Rosal ordered the swim-off to end the dispute and finalize the city’s
lineup for the Palaro.
IF our sports leaders, not just the heads of the non-performing National
Sports Associations, but the top dogs at the Philippine Sports
Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, have any sense of
propriety left in them, they should all resign following the country’s
disastrous performance in the 26th Southeast Asian Games.
PSC Chairman Richie Garcia, whose infamous quip that if our world Dragon
Boat champions didn’t wish to be under the Canoe-Kayak Federation, they
could go back to eating “tahong” harvested from Manila Bay, once again
demonstrated his unworthiness to head the PSC with a ridiculous
statement in Indonesia.
Garcia in explaining the SEA Games debacle, claimed that our
preparations were not good, since we found it difficult to gather our
best athletes in some regions, because of the limited communication
facilities such as Internet and telephone.
We wonder what Mr. Manny Pangilinan of PLDT-Smart thinks about Garcia’s
statement. Blaming a giant corporation that has moved our communications
facilities into the modern age for the dismal failure of the PSC and the
POC among others, is the height of both folly and ingratitude. Mr. Manny
Pangilinan has been the most committed and passionate supporter of
Philippine sports, allotting millions of pesos into helping our athletes
in various disciplines.
All Garcia has to do is to look at the 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze
medal produced in boxing to realize that our respected friends Ricky
Vargas, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines,
executive director Ed Picson and secretary general Pato Gregorio had no
communications problems, neither did the coaches have trouble
communicating with our boxers.
What clearly is a curse in Philippine sports that has seen us retrogress
through the recent years is the mindless internal strife and the
politically motivated actions of our sports leaders.
How will Garcia and POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco
defend the miserable performance of our swimmers under Mark Joseph, who
received some P30 million directly from Pagcor’s former head Ephraim
Genuino in flagrant violation of rules and regulations but flopped big
time? Shouldn’t Joseph, who has acted like a small-time dictator at the
Philippine Aquatic Sports Association, resign?
In stark and welcome contrast, the ABAP quietly and efficiently pursued
a training program using much of the resources of Mr. Pangilinan and
PLDT-Smart and came home with 4 gold medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze with
clear indications that we were at the receiving end of unfair decisions
in the fights of Nesthy Petecio and Mark Anthony Barriga. Yet, ABAP won
six medals from 10 boxers. Now that’s a performance worth commending.
Even in athletics, while we won only 2 gold medals and a fistful of
silvers and bronzes and didn’t win as many golds as expected, part of
the blame must surely be shared by the POC officials, including
Cojuangco, Steve Hontiveros, Joseph and their clique, who violated every
tenet of due process and the rule of law in their relentless campaign to
oust Go Teng Kok, who has headed athletics for 21 years and gave us the
biggest medal haul in the 2009 SEA Games in Laos.
While Go and his lawyer, chess player Sammy Estimo, were battling in
court to get an injunction to stop the POC, which they succeeded in
doing, our athletes were in limbo, bothered by the absence of their
president, who has looked after them well through the years. Their
training disrupted and their minds bothered, but our athletes performed
quite well, given the circumstances.
The Philippines has a population of an estimated 94 million, while
Singapore has only 3.8 million yet we were humiliated by this small
island state and shoved into sixth place, our worst finish imaginable
with Malaysia finishing fourth, banking on a population of just over 28
million.
Like many aspects of national life, it’s not the people who are to
blame, it’s our so-called leaders, who have pulled us down into the
depths of mediocrity. Once way ahead of our neighbors, including Taiwan
and South Korea, the Philippines now struggles to regain some measure of
success. Given the disastrous showing in Indonesia, common decency
demands that our sports leaders resign.
Barreto, PSL
tankers shine in S'pore meet (The Philippine Star) Updated November 27, 2011 12:00
AM
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Swimming League’s Rafael Barreto ruled
all his events to become the most outstanding swimmer in the 9-10 age
group category in the All Nations Cup held in Tao Payoh, Singapore.
Barreto won in the 100m freestyle (1:06.50), 50m butterfly (35 seconds),
50m freestyle (31 seconds) and 200m freestyle (2:25) in the
state-of-the-art venue where last year’s Youth Olympic Games was held.
Barreto also anchored the medley and freestyle relay wins by the
Filipinos which included Aki Lorbes, Kyle Libat and Vincent Bornasal.
The event, to which the Philippine Swimming League and its sister
federation, the Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines, are
invited annually, was participated in by teams from Australia and
Southeast Asia.
The swimming meet is held to encourage participation of swimmers from
8-under to master’s level whether they are members of their national
sports association or not.
The other outstanding swimmer from the Philippines was Maria Enjie Siso,
a public school student, in the 11-12 category.
“This young elementary girl’s success shows that no matter what your
station in life, you will gain glory for yourself and your country if
you work for it,” said PSL president Susan Papa, who includes public
school students and the underprivileged in the league’s outreach
program.
Also cited as outstanding swimmers were Jaja Cordero (15-17) and Bhay
Newberry (7-8).
Other medal winners were Mathew Tan, Trisha Oliveros, JV Llaguno, EJ
Lorens, Lance Sevilla, Icy Tan, Julia Torres, Kevin Claveria, Libat,
Lorbes, Jean Talavera, Kio Abacahin, Charles Ticbaen, Leichelle
Buenaventura, Nicole Simon and Milicent, Jan and Jan Vincent Bornasal.
Former Sen. Nikki Coseteng, chief executive officer of the Diliman
Preparatory School which has its own swimming program for students,
lauded the performance of the swimmers.
“We have to bring swimming back into the limelight, but we have to work
hard to catch up with other Asian swimmers,” said Coseteng who said the
DPS and PSL will be sending another team to Bangkok next month.
Harakiri,
anyone?
Sports Fan
By DING MARCELO
November 23, 2011, 8:45pm
MANILA, Philippines — After another Southeast Asian Games debacle of
spectacular proportions, sports officials are very likely scratching
their heads and asking, “What the heck happened?”
Well, if they're still groggy from what hit them, let's try and make it
clearer:
The Philippines landed sixth among 11 countries, matching the worst
finish for a national team in Southeast Asian Games history. That would
be in 2007 in Thailand, when we landed in the gutter, and in 2009 in
Laos, when we were fifth, which was the garbage dump.
And this year, when out of 555 golds for the taking, we reeled in 36
against winner Indonesia’s 182, Thailand’s 109 and Vietnam’s 96 – we
definitely go to a place where things go when we flush the toilet.
Over at the Rizal Memorial complex, the collective chant is: Back to the
drawing board, boys.
It’s as though the debacle is just a case of working with a bad draft.
Problem is, the people running the show have been saying that after
every bad campaign – in the SEA Games, Asian Games, Olympics, world
championships, and so on.
What we’d really like to see or hear is this: Sports officials claiming
responsibility, saying sorry, and then resigning. Or, if they're
presidential appointees, then submitting courtesy resignations.
We don’t expect them to do harakiri, the sacrifice of choice for
Japanese who fail expectations, but resignation is honorable, too.
But in this country, giving up privileged positions voluntarily is
unlikely. What is likely is looking for scapegoats and announcing a list
of justifications.
Lack of funds tops that list.
But this reason has been used so Aoften, it has outlived its usefulness.
Aside from being inaccurate. The PSC budget for training, equipment and
related activities runs in the hundreds of millions annually.
But as recent results show, it’s probably money not well spent.
Who or what to blame then?
How about leaders who lack vision?
Leaders who can’t inspire?
Leaders who cling to their positions for decades? And, on those few
occasions when they actually got the boot, often because of greed, they
go out kicking and screaming for “due process.”
I still have to see one sports official from the POC, the PSC, or the
NSAs voluntarily resigning following a debacle.
The truly devious ones might even see opportunity from the sports
disasters. By saying they need more funds, they just might get more –
and presto, take home a bigger slice of the pie.
Sometimes one wonders how sports officials can be so callous, they can
actually ignore the pain of national embarrassment.
Sports, as you know, is a source of national pride. Nations declare
holidays, build statues, organize parades, and provide lifetime pensions
for its sports heroes.
But sports can also be a source of embarrassment, a trauma to the
national pysche, which is exactly what happened to us in a low-level
event like the SEA Games where we are the laughing stock.
There are more than 100 million Filipinos, but we can’t even find the
right athletes to bring us redemption. Timor Leste has one million
people, won just just one gold, but that country kicked us in the butt
in football. Very few things are more embarrassing for us than that!
Sure, we didn’t expect a medal in football, although there was some hype
going in that direction. But, hey, we didn’t expect to be kicked around
like a football by Timor Leste either.
HAS THE CRUSADE TO REFORM PASA WON
AQUINO PSC CHAIR’S SUPPORT? Written by : Severino Frayna -
manilatimes.net
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Garcia on Friday assured
former senator Nikki Coseteng, president of the Diliman Preparatory
School, and Susan Papa, head of the Philippine
Swimming League, that the “unauthorized relations” rule imposed by Mark
Joseph, head of PASA, the national sports association (NSA) for
swimming, will no longer be used against them and their swimmers.
PSA Chairman Garcia’s assurances were reiterated by Commissioners Chito
Loyzaga and Commissioner Salvador Andrada.
They also told Coseteng and Papa that they would call PASA President
Mark Joseph to discuss the complaints of parents and athletes against
PASA.
Representing young swimmers and their parents affiliated with the
Philippine Swimming League (PSL) and Diliman Preparatory School,
Coseteng and Papa requested Chairman Garcia to allow them to air their
grievances against PASA’s Mark Joseph.
They told Garcia, Loyzaga and Andrada of how PASA rules imposed by
Joseph have excluded their swimmers from local, regional, and national
swimming meets and even subverted the PSC Chairman’s effort to hold a
“sports for all” meet welcoming all swimmers.
The Manila Times, ran a special report “What ails Philippine Sports —
Part 1 Swimming” from Sunday October 16 to Wednesday October 19
detailing the complaints of swimmers and children in Metro Manila and
the provinces.
Children athletes of a non-PASA member club in Bicol complained that
they were not allowed to participate in their own Naga City Mayor’s Cup
Championship because the organizers were told that PASA head Mark
Joseph’s rules would be violated. They wrote a letter to President
Benigno Aquino 3rd and emailed a copy to The Manila Times.
Coseting and Papa presented Garcia and the two PSC commissioners with
copies of all The Manila Times issues containing the special report,
urging them to use it as their reference to begin reforming PASA and the
way Philippinme swimming is being badly run by its national sports
association.
The former senator spoke formally to Mr. Garcia when she began
presenting her complaints.
She said, “I would like to share with you the articles printed by Manila
Times titled ‘What ails Philippine Sports—Swimming’ that appeared on the
paper’s front page on October 16, 17, 18, and 19 and the editorial on
October 16. Also, here is the Times June 26, 2011 issue reporting how
funds for swimmers from the government were diverted to private
companies.”
She added, “We hope, sir, that as a good father of a family (“bonus
pater familias”), you provide the leadership, formulate policies and set
the priorities and directions in Philippine Swimming.”
Susan Papa then spoke, saying, “Chairman, we would like to let you know,
just in case you do not know, our problems in swimming. As a good father
of a family, as head of Philippine Sports, we have come to speak to you
because coaches, parents and swimmers are wondering why you are not
doing something about the faults and unrighteousness of the acts of the
head of the swimming NSA, Mark Joseph. In fact, sir, the swimmers and
parents, are blaming you.”
Coseteng said, “ Alam mo Chairman hindi lang ako kumibo ng mahabang
panahon pagkatapos ng Arafura kasi sabi ko nga hindi ka lang sinampal ni
Mark Joseph ng isang beses kundi paulit ulit ka nyang sinampal kasi
hindi ka naman nya pinakinggan.”
Chairman Garcia said, “Oo napanood ko nga sa youtube may nag padala sa
akin, yong kay Cunanan ba yon at saka yung video ng lawyer.”
Papa explained that the lawyers is is Atty. Maria Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, a
former national swimmer and a practicing trial criminal lawyer.
Then Nikki Coseteng said, “Alam mo, yang Mark Joseph na yan hindi
marunong sumunod sa usapan. He is a liar.”
After listening to some remarks by Chairman Garcia, Papa said, “Chairman
may I say something, kasi po the swimming community expect that as the
head of sports in the government we believed that you should provide the
leadership and formulate the policies, because PASA ask for government
Funds and yet it is as if Mark is the head, parang mas mataas pa yong
NSA kaysa PSC.”
Chairman Garcia said, “Kaya nga kami na ang gumagawa ng Programa, like
PINOY GAmes. It is open to everyone.”
Then Papa held up a memo from Mark Joseph, head of PASA,
Thereafter, Papa said trying to show the chairman, “pero tignan nyo po
itong memo ito po ang letter head ng PASA.” Papa gave it to Coseteng for
her to show to the Chairman.
Coseteng pointed out that the memo was saying that the “2011 POC-PSC
Philippine National Games Bacolod City [was] held under the approval of
the PASA.” The title was “SWIMMING JR. AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENTAL LONG
COURSE SWIM MEET.” But Coseteng said those who swam were members of the
“National Team of PASA.”
“Paano naging developmental yon?”
Coseteng further read the memo aloud. It said the POC-PSC Games were
sponsored by PSC with PASA handling the technical management of the
swimming competition being a government project.
It said “the POC-PSC National National Games is APPROVED for
participation in by all PASA Affiliated and non-PASA affiliated parties
able to meet the Qualifying Entry Times based on results stored in the
PASA Star Data base. For 2011, the POC- PSC Games swimming competition
will not be a selection meet for any international Competition, and is
not going to be used as basis in any way to determine membership in
PASA’s Jr. and Senior National Swimming Team or the National Training
Pool for 2011.”
Coseteng then asked Chairman Garcia if he agreed that “ niloloko kami
nyan eh, open to non- affiliated daw based on results that are in the
PASA data base. But pag sumali non-PASA members wala talaga sila sa Data
Base ng PASA.”
Coseteng also said that PASA then announced that “kahit sila (non-PASA)
lumangoy hindi rin makasali ang Non-Pasa sa National Team, ang ibig
sabihin noon kahit malakas ka dahil hindi ka PASA, hindi ka kasali.
Paano ka pa sasali. Lokohan talaga ng nangyayari.”
Chairman Garcia was shaking his head in disbelief. He gave his secretary
instructions and later Commissioner Buddy Andrada arrived and soon
Commissioner Chito Loyzaga arrived.
Chairman Garcia then told Coseteng that the DPS-PSL
December 18 “competition ninyo, tuloy na.”
This was about the use of government pools and Coseting said “baka
sabihin na naman ni Mark may gagamit ng pool ha! At bawal na naman kami
dahil non-PASA.”
Chairman Garcia assured them that the PSL-DPS use of the pool was
definitely approved and that what happened last year won’t happen again.
Then Coseteng complained against Mark Joseph’s labelling non-PASA
swimmers that he allows to join competitions as “guests” with the
description “unattached.”
Coseteng said, “That is bastos, isn’t it. Why say we are “unattached”
when we have our affiliations. May pangalan naman and groups na sumasali.
Bakit pinayagan ng PSC yan.”
Then the Chairman called somebody and asked for the documents. He looked
at the records and said, “This cannot be. The names of PSC and POC were
used. Hind nga naman tama ito. Kaya pala hindi kayo sumali.” Then the
Chairman asked someone to xerox the documents.
Commissioner Chito Loyzaga then assured Coseteng that in the next Batang
Pinoy these wrongs would not be repeated.
There was also a discussion about the Philippine Team not getting
medals.
Only the
President can solve the PASA problem Written by : Rene Q. Bas Editor in Chief, Manila Times
SWIMMING, one of the sport disciplines in which Filipinos should excel
and did win many gold medals in international competitions, is a
disaster of sinking records for years, Coach Susan Papa, a former
Olympic swimmer, told The Times.
She attributes the descent to mediocrity of Philippine contingents sent
abroad to the absence of effective long-term development and training
programs for athletes who have shown promise and the absence of a
grassroots program to find and develop young swimmers into world
champions. Papa is the president of the Philippine Swimming League (PSL).
She enumerates other deficiencies in the way swimming as a sport is
being promoted and managed by the national association (NSA) for
swimming, the Philippine Aquatic Sports Association (PASA), whose
official name is now (since June 2010) Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI).
The name change was ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission to
prevent a possible anomaly.
Papa’s principal fellow advocate of reforms in the management of
swimming as a sports is former senator Nikki Coseteng, who is herself a
sportswoman, swimmer and the first woman to manage and coach a national
basketball team.
They blame in particular the head since 2004 of PASA/PSI, Mark Joseph.
“The presence of corruption and the absence of long-term programs are
absolutely the main reasons why we’re not winning medals in Asian and
world-level swimming competitions,” Papa told The Manila Times.
Coseteng told The Times details of the following reasons Philippine
swimming is “in turmoil” and why swimmers under PASA are not
world-class.
She gave basically the same list of concerns to a House committee on
sports hearing earlier this year on the problem-wracked state of
swimming.
1. Accounting of funds from the government and donors from 2004 to 2011.
This has not been properly settled with the authorities, namely the
Philippine Sports Commission, the Commission on Audit and the Securities
and Exchange Commission.
2. PASA/PSI received P30 million directly from the government’s gaming
corporation PAGCOR. The law mandating PAGCOR to fund NSAs expressly
states that funding should be coursed through the government’s
Philippine Sports Commission. For some reason, the PAGCOR board and
management under the Arroyo administration gave the money directly to
PSA.PSI/ Mark Joseph.
3. The Philippines has not won any Asian Games swimming medals from 1986
– 1994, until in 1998 we won two bronzes thanks to swimmer Ryan Papa.
Then from 2002 to 2010 (and now its 2011) another period of zero medals.
Getting only two medals in 24 years in the Asian Games is humiliating.
4. Time trials for swimmers are limited now to members of PASA/PSI. This
disenfranchises other qualified medal-holder Filipino swimmers who are
not PASA/PSI members.
5. FilAms, who win no medals, are used to represent the Philippines in
the Asian Games, Olympics and FINA championships instead of developing
champion material from the grassroots in the provinces.
6. There is no grassroots swimming development program.
7. Dismal performance of our national swimming coach who ought to be but
has not been replaced!
8. Humiliation by Mark Joseph of young swimmers competing in several age
group competitions locally and abroad. Winners have been stripped of
medals. Swimmers who have been accepted in foreign competitions were
taken out as a result of Mark Joseph’s contacting the organizers abroad
to warn them that they would be sanctioned by FINA because the youth
swimmers from the Philippines are not PASA/PSI members and are using
fake passports.
9. Arbitrary suspension of PASA coaches, and swimmers who associate in
anyway with non PASA members at the whim of PASA leadership.
10. Conduct of sham elections to ensure Mark Joseph’s perpetuation as
head of the Philippine NSA for swimming.
(These 10 complaints will be detailed in articles forming part of this
special report in this and subsequent issues.)
Zero in Age-Group championships
The latest event in which the Philippine swimming team sent by PASA/PSI/Mark
Joseph did not win a single medal was last week’s 7th Asian Age Group
Swimming Championship held in Palembang, Indonesia.
Asian including Asean countries participated. The Philippines is the
only Asean country that did not get even a bronze.
Japan was the champion and top medal-getter country in the Palembang
AASF Age Group Swimming Championships. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand
also did well.
Years ago, Filipino swimmers were rivaling the Japanese.
Mark Joseph’s critics say this is because of the PASA/PSI rule that no
coach or swimmer can be sent to an international meet unless they are
members of PSA/PSI.
This rule, and the big expense a great swimmer with no money from
Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga or Sulu, make it impossible for ordinary people to
become swimming champions like many Mindanaoans and Visayans were in
earlier decades.
Complaints and suggestions for reforms made by Papa, Coseteng, former
national swimmer Maria Luz Arzaga Mercado, and many other swimmers and
coaches, in the Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines (ASAP) and
who formed associations called the “Save PASA movement,” have all fallen
on deaf ears.
POC, PSC and PASA/PSI
The Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee or
POC (which accredits all national sports associations or NSAs) do not
want to act against Mark Joseph or interfere with the way he runs PASA/PSI.
This makes the reformers and critics of PASA/Mark Joseph wish President
Benigno Aquino would step in—or at least nudge the bosses of the POC and
the PSC, both of whom are persons close to him to agree to the reforms
sought.
The PSC chairman, Richie Garcia, is the President’s appointee. And POC’s
president is President Aquno’s uncle, former congressman Jose “Peping”
Cojuangco, younger brother of the sainted late President Cory Aquino.
Mark Joseph is rather close to POC President Cojuangco. He acts as
Cojuangco’s spokesman and trouble shooter within the POC. Cojuangco had
won by a mere 1 vote in his re-election bid for POC head in 2008. He
beat Art Macapagal, the half-brother of former president Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo.
Nevertheless, the President can exert his influence on both PSC Chairman
Garcia and his uncle POC President Cojuangco to pressure Mark Joseph to
amend the rules of PASA/PSI and make it more inclusive.
President Aquino doesn’t have to ask the PSC and POC chiefs to yank Mark
Joseph out of his seat as PASA/PSI chief. He could just ask them to
force Mark Joseph to make his NSA inclusive for the sake of restoring
the gone glory of the Philippines as a country that excels in swimming
in the Asian Games and maybe the Olympics.
Despite former senator Coseteng’s having charged Mark Joseph with graft
and corruption at the Ombudsman, surely President Aquino, POC President
Cojuangco and PSC Chairman Garcia do realize that something must be done
about halting the Philippine decline in the field of swimming. That
great something is simply to undo the counterproductive rules of PASA/PSI.
Coseteng, with other sports reformers, last June filed a case—on the
same day PAGCOR’s present board and management also filed a similar
case—against Arroyo administration PAGCOR head Efraim Genuino and other
PAGCOR officials, former Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez and
PASA/PSI president Mark Joseph for violating Republic Acts 3019, 1379,
9160 and the Revised Penal Code in connection with the alleged P38.8
million in financial assistance directly released by Pagcor to PASA,
from Sept. 2007 to Dec. 2008, to fund PASA’s four-year program for
Filipino athletes participating in the 2012 London Olympics.
DepEd Marikina
City Swimming Meet 2011 Nov. 10, 2011
Parents,
abused child-swimmers complain Published : Wednesday, October 19, 2011 00:00 Article
Views : 488
PEOPLE with the cause of sports development and the welfare of athletes,
specially children, at heart have tried to effect reforms in the
Philippine Aquatic Sports Association/Philippine Swimming Inc. (PASA/PSI).
People and entities outside PASA/PSI, like the Aquatic Sports
Association of the Philippine (ASAP) have found it impossible to change
the leadership of PASA. Appeals to By Joaquin B. Sar Contributor the
Philippine Olympic Community are fruitless for POC upholds the autonomy
of the PASA, being the national sports association for swimming. The
international federation (IF) for swimming, FINA, also takes a hand-off
policy in the internal affairs of a member NSA—not to mention that Mark
Joseph has become a leader of FINA.
The Philippine Sports Commission cannot get involved in leadership
conflicts in PASA either—unless it is to exert extraordinary pressure by
withholding funds.
The Save PASA Movement, led by former national swimmer Jane Ong, a
respected counsel in the Ombudsman, put in all the legal work to oust
Joseph, but failed.
Former national standout swimmer, Ma. Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, a renowned
election lawyer, waged a similar ouster move that reached the doorsteps
of FINA. She also failed.
Then came the Philippine Swimming League (PSL), led by former senator
Nikki Coseteng, who owns the Diliman Preparatory School, which has a
training program for young swimmers, and former national swimmer Susan
Papa.
No ouster moves
Instead of taking steps in an attempt to oust the PASA president, they
merely launched a PSL a program aimed to develop grassroots talents who
could then join the National Training Center of Mark Joseph. They also
failed. Joseph refused their participation. Doing so would undermine
PASA’s policy of “unauthorized relations.”
Venue managers of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and Amoranto Sports
Center, both government-owned, have informed the PSL it could no longer
use the Rizal Memorial and Amoranto for its monthly competitions because
the use of government facilities has been made a PASA prerogative.
When Coseteng built a Swimming Center, consisting of three pools, at the
Diliman Preparatory School, she had a dream. She wanted a professional
organization like the PSL to teach swimming as part of the DPS
curriculum based in the center.
She hoped the center would become the home of future Filipino Olympians.
She suddenly learned she had to pay a P400 membership fee to PASA for
every student. That would cost the school P1 million a year, for she had
an enrollment of 2,500. She could not hold a formal school competition
because her students’ names would not be registered on the PASA ranking
list and her students would be barred from competing in national meets.
Her coaches were also first to be made members of the World Coaches
Association before they could become members of PASA.
A strange provision in the FINA General Rules for competition all over
the world has put the whole sports program in the Philippines in
disarray. This is the rule on “unauthorized relations.”
In Sept. 2006, Mark Joseph told parents of the Celebrity Sports Plaza
not to compete in the Palms Country Club invi-tational swim meet. If
they did disciplinary action would be taken against them.
PASA members who wanted to risked losing their membership if they joined
the 2009 and 2010 monthly competitions of the Philippine Swimming League
and a seminar in March 2009 by top Canadian swimming coach Fred Arzaga.
At the same time the Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines,
under lawyer Ma. Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, said Joseph has been unbending in
his policy disallowing non-members from competing in PASA swimming
meets, including national tryouts for international events like the
Southeast Asian Games.
He went farther by threatening national sports associations in other
countries with suspension by FINA if they allowed the participation of
Filipinos who are not PASA members. As a result many foreign who have
since removed the ASAP and Philippine Swimming League from their yearly
list of invitees.
The threats of suspension have prompted NSAs in the Asean and Filipino
parents and coaches who are non-members of PASA to look into the
constitution and by-laws of the international federation and PASA to see
if there is really such a provision that discriminates against
non-members.
The FINA General Rules contain the following:
GR4.l – No affiliated member (like PASA) shall have any kind of
relationship with a non-affiliated or suspended body.
GR 4.3 The holding of demonstrations and/or exhibitions clinics,
training, competitions, etc
with non-affiliated or suspended bodies is not permissible
GR4.5- Any individual or group violating this Rule shall be suspended by
the affiliated member for a minimum of one year, up to a maximum period
of two years
The ASAP said: “It is clear that FINA, whose mission is to promote and
encourage the development of swimming in all possible manifestations
throughout the world is the same entity that discourages it.
“It is clear that the same institution that should be the embodiment of
a Sports For All throughout the world is actually an organization for
members only.”
This has made human rights advocate begin to question his PASA rule,
which has also become a FINA rule.
Painful experiences
Yesterday’s article, “The curse of unauthorized relations,” citied the
bitter experience of the Echavez sisters who were stripped of their gold
and bronze medals in the Arafura Games in Australia and the shameful
treatment of the swimmers who had gone to Sabah on invitation of the
Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia. The parents of the frustrated
Filipino children in Sabah have apparently filed a suit against Mark
Joseph for making the Malaysian hosts of suspecting them of having faked
their ages and for holding fake Philippine passports.
A case that is now being tried in Quezon City is that of Jerome Carpio.
He was still a minor in 2010 when he filed the case against Mark Joseph
in Quezon City. He presented a copy (obtained from the Malaysian ASUM
hosts) of the letter dated February 2, 2010, sent by Mark Joseph
discrediting him and his fellow swimmers from ASAP as fake passport
holders and possibly presenting expired PASA IDs and a government
“travel order” that are “mere misrepresentations.”
Jerome Carpio’s suit
Jerome Carpio told the QC court that “in view of the above letter, the
organizers took my passport and confronted meabout the authenticity of
my passport, questioning my age and completely embarrassing me in front
of fellow swimmers…I was startled and I cried while the interrogation
continued. It was at this point that my coach Susan Papa called my
father via oversea because I was deeply affected.” [Times Editor’s note:
Jerome’s father is Philippine Star assistant sports editor Gerry Carpio.]
Jerome described how his group of swimmers were “subjected to extreme
scrutiny. . .their passports and papers searched and inspected for signs
of falsehood.” Jerome also said in his affidavit “that as a direct and
proximate result of Mrk Joseph’s baseless and unfounded allegations, I
was unable to swim in the 43 rd Sabah Age Group Swimming Championships,
to my extreme distress and disappointment. All my hard work and training
for the past several months leading to the Malaysian event was all for
nothing…” He said “his modest dreams (of getting a medal) were crushed.
He then accused Mark Joseph, by writing what he called a “defamatory”
letter, of committing child abuse, causing him emotional and
psychological disturbance. He said the “embarrassment and humiliation
brought about by Mark Joseph gravely affected” his “development as a
person” and enumerated the bad effects of the experience on his
personality and mental outlook.
PASA/Mark Joseph’s “unauthorized relations” rule has
caused grief to other children.
Among these were Val Pilapil, a member of the Philippine contingent that
competed in the fifth SICC Championship in Singapore. He wrote an email
about his tragic experience at the hands of Mark Joseph who threatened
the Singapore organizers with suspension if they allowed the Filipino
swimmers to swim. The Singaporeans, however, finally did not heed Mark
Joseph. Their interpretation is that the FINA “unauthorized relations”
rule only pertains to events that are directly organized and sanctioned
by FINA itself.
Young swimmers supervised by Dr. Susan Benasa also suffered because of
the PASA attempt to get them disqualified.
Their ordeal was somewhat assuaged by their having won medals despite
the harassment.
From Legazpi City, Old Albay District, young swimmers (“mga batang
swimmers”) of the Ibalong Magayon Aqua-gliders Swim Club Inc., wrote a
letter on September 23, 2011 to President Benigno Aquino 3rd. The letter
is written entirely in Tagalog.
They explained that theirs is a club that was only organized this year
but it has now 40 members. Most of them are elementary and high school
students and “si Iris po ang pinakabata sa amin (five years old lang po
siya) at ang pinaka senior ay si Ate Patis (fourteen years old po siya).”
They said theyu have dared to write the President to tell him what is
happening in their swimming community in Bicol and to ask him a question
and to make a request.
There are four swim clubs in Bicol, they wrote. Three are members of
PASA. Their club is not and is affiliated with the PSL [Ed’s note:
Coseteng and Papa’s group). Because of the support they get from PSL and
Coach Susan Papa, they were trained and had the opportunity to compete
internationally and they won “maraming medals.” Masaya po kami kasi wala
po kaming binayaran na membership fee sa PSL pero nakakasali po kami sa
mga competition ng PSL.
“Actually po, dati kaming members ng isang club dito sa Legazpi City at
PASA members din po kami at nagbayad pa nga po kami ng membership fee.
Pero umalis po kami sa dating club namin at itinatag namin ang Ibalong
Magayon Aquagliders. Umalis po kami sa dati naming club kasi po
pinagbabawalan kaming makilangoy sa mga hindi PASA members dahil yun daw
po ang sabi ni Mark Joseph na Presidente daw po ng PASA. Pag nag violate
daw po kami sa rule na ito, may parusa daw po na ibibigay ang PASA.
Meron din po silang sinasabing “FINA rules” at “unauthorized relations”
na hindi naman po namin naiintindihan. Sa pagkakaalam po namin, para po
yatang pang Olympics lang yung FINA rules at hindi po ito mag aaply sa
maliit at simpleng friendly community invitational swimming
competitions.”
Bicolanos write PNoy
“Because of these PASA rules they were not allowed to compete in
community meets in Bicol. They were not allowed to swim and compete in
the Naga City Mayor’s Cup because that’s only for PASA members. They
also want to do that in the Legazpi Mayor’s Cup Invitational scheduled
in October. We must first become PASA members again and also our
coaches. Confusing, isn’t it, sir?
“It’s painful for us children Bicolano swimmers not to be able to swim
in our own place.”
After puring on more grievances, the children asked their Mahal na
Pangulong Aquino: Who is this Mark Joseph? Why does he have such powers?
Should everybody be PASA members to compete in small competitions in a
barangay or neighborhood or local city government?
Their letter ends with a prayer that the President will give them some
attention and that he helps them obtain respect for their rights to swim
and reach their small dreams without fear, apprehensions or doubts.
Na sana po, ang larangan ng sports dito sa Pilipinas ay maging isang
larawan ng matibay, malinis, malusog at masayang pagkakaisa ng mga
Pilipino.
Maraming salamat po and May God bless us all.
Cavite
Sailfish SC hosts Goodwill Swim Meet October 30, 2011 - Dela Salle Dasmarinas, Cavite
Bayan Telecommunications Regional head
ALVIN BENASA (left) representing coaches, parents and swimmers of
Cagayan de Oro met with Philippine Swimming League president Susan Papa
for a city- wide swimming program whose membership is for free and open
to all interested swimmers, rich or poor. Benasa will be the PSL's main
pointman in the program. Coaches present areCesar Sayosay,Sukarno Maut,
Edward Maut, Jun Rodriguez, Ernesto Ecle , Llena Mainar, Alicia Sayosay
,Rey Balandra , Ralph Ranan, Pafnocio Parajes,and Arvin Parra.
Curse
of ‘unauthorized relations’ hurts aspiring tankers Published : Tuesday, October 18, 2011 00:00 Article Views
: 330 Written by : Joaquin B. Sar, Contributor
PHILIPPINE Aquatics Sports Association/Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI)
President Mark Joseph’s controversial emergence as the head of the
country’s national sports association (NSA) for swimming recognized by
the Philippine Sports Commission (fund-giver) and the Philippine Olympic
Committee (arbiter of conflicts and giver of accreditations) introduced
the curse of “unauthorized relations” against non-PASA members.
It also turned out to be a curse for PASA members also.
In 2007, the organizers of the annual Arafura Games in Australia’s
Northern Territory, which includes a multi-age swimming meet and admits
foreign participants, required a Filipino participant who had won a gold
medal and her sister who had won a bronze to return their medals.
The Australian organizer, Swimming Northern Territory, which (like PASA/PSI)
is under FINA, the international governing body for swimming. It had to
nullify the championship won by Loren Dale Echavez and the third place
win of Lorhiz Echavez on the behest of Joseph. Joseph told the
Australian organizer that it would be suspended by FINA (of which Joseph
is an official for the Asian region) if it did not strip the Filipino
winners of their medals. He said the Echavez sisters were suspended
members of PASA and therefore did not have the right to participate in
the Arafura Games.
The two children felt humiliated, wept and one of them, Lorhiz, stopped
being a competition swimmer from that time on.
Their mother, Rhiza Alvarez, wrote PASA president Joseph about the
”shame and humiliation” her children and she had gone through because of
his action. The letter also accused PASA and the POC of “having
forgotten the purpose of their existence—the assistance to their
athletes—for something as ungentlemanly as political mongering, a
squabbling bureaucracy and inconsiderate vested interests.”
Two years later, the Senate passed a resolution commending two Filipino
swimmers who excelled in another Australian meet, this time in Perth.
These two were Vincent Alvarez, who won two gold medals, one silver and
one bronze, and Hilario Davide 4th, two golds and a bronze. They were
coached by non-PASA members.
Joseph also questioned the participation of the two swimmers, who were
coached by non-PASA members, in violation of FINA and PASA rules on
“unauthorized relations” between a PASA member and a non-PASA member.
But that time, Joseph did not ask the Australian organizers to take back
the medals or tell the Senate to revoke its resolution congratulating
Alvarez and Davide. He probably realized he would end up being the loser
if he had gone after Hilario David 4th, grandson and namesake of the
former Chief Justice, and Vincent Alvarez, the grandson of former press
secretary Rod Reyes.
But two years later, in 2011, the organizers of the meet in Perth, had
already accepted the application of members of the Philippine Swimming
League (PSL) when Joseph made his move. The Filipino swimmers and
coaches had already booked their flights and bought the tickets, when
they were told by the Australian organizers that that PASA had again
called up.
Joseph warned the Australians of being suspended by FINA if they entered
into “unauthorized relations” with Filipinos. Joseph stressed that if
the PSL’s Filipino swimmers were allowed to participate in the meet, the
Australian records would not be considered by FINA for future
international meets.
Because of this FINA rule, which is seen to be the handiwork of Joseph,
extrapolating the rule he imposed in the Philippine to the international
federation, other foreign clubs have also cancelled their booking
because they are either non-members of their NSAs, or because—like Hong
Kong—they have to pay costly accreditation fees, which is double the
amount of participation charged the authorized national swimming
federation.
Simply stated, the FINA and PASA rule on “unauthorized relations”
considers non-members outcasts, like lepers who have no place in their
society. It doesn’t matter if these “unauthorized players” have
demonstrated their ability to win medals. They cannot join international
meets if they are not PASA members.
Members who participate in non-PASA events are suspended for at least
one year. Non-PASA members cannot participate in PASA tournaments
because these are exclusively for members only.
When the Philippine Sports Commission required the PASA to open its
national tryouts to members and non-members, PASA reluctantly and
publicly agreed but cleverly skirted the issue.
Skirting the issue
It announced the rule that all participants would be “pre-qualified”
through the PASA computer ranking system. Of course, non-PASA members
accepted as participants on paper could not pass the pre-qualification
test because the PASA ranking list did not have the non-members’ names
on it.
He extended this rule to foreign clubs, reminding them that they would
face suspension if they allowed non-PASA members to participate in their
tournaments.
This was the case in Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. ASAP
(Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines), which had previously
been participants in these countries’ swimming events, was informed of
the PASA threats by their hosts.
The cruel thing, said ASAP coaches and swimmers, was that Joseph would
issue his “reminder” at the time the Filipino participants were already
abroad. But the good thing was the host clubs paid no attention to
Joseph’s threat and allowed the ASAP boys and girls to swim.
But in 2010, something dramatic and for the books happened in Sabah. The
Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM), organizers of the meet, were
intimidated into heeding Joseph’s warning not to let the Philippine
contingent swim because Joseph used a slanderous underhanded trick. He
told the ASUM that the non-PASA Filipinos there were “rule breakers and
trouble makers” who could “fake their age and passports” to compete in
the age-group competitions.
The Sabah organizers then questioned the qualification of the kid
swimmers. Three of them decided not to swim after being subjected to a
humiliating interrogation by meet officials and being told that they
could still compete if they agreed to swim not as Philippine swimmers
but as entries of the North Borneo Swimming Club made up of expat
Filipinos in Sabah flying the Malaysian flag. Some of the others, who
did swim as “North Borneans” won medals.
These children’s parents have since hailed Joseph to court.
Court action
Other parents are now contemplating court action for harassment of
minors and human rights
violations.
The ASAP is also preparing a position paper, seeking assistance from the
Department of Justice and human rights advocates to draw worldwide
attention to the notorious FINA rule which discriminates against
non-affiliated clubs and members worldwide by requiring their NSAs to be
as exclusive as PASA or be suspended.
The official policy of the government is “Sports for All.” Why, the
critics of PASA and Mark Joseph asked, is the NSA for swimming enforcing
the policy of “Sports for the Few.”
Many swimming clubs, coaches and swimmers all over the country are now
excluded from international swimming meets because they cannot stomach
being in PASA and have joined ASAP, where they can still be national
swimmers. A tally of how many clubs in various cities and provinces are
in PASA will show shocking figures. In the most recent figures, only two
or three of Cebu’s more than 30 clubs are in PASA. Other clubs are not
joining because they can’t afford the costly fees for the club, the
swimmers and the coaches.
With 10,000 members, Joseph stands to get P4 million a year from P400
individual membership. He receives another P6 million from fees of 1,000
coaches.
According to records, participation in foreign competitions is on a
have-money-will-travel scheme where the package cost has to be paid in
full to PASA. A swimmer that went to a Singapore meet was surprised to
be billed P41,500 for a three-day competition, including air fare, hotel
accommodation and uniforms. ASAP would ask only half the price.
ASAP’s President Marilou Arzaga-Mendoza said that the “high-handed,
despotic, whimsical and capricious manner by which Joseph has managed
PASA has alienated and offended numerous coaches, swimmers, parents and
club owners.”
“As a result, there is a complete breakup of the swimming community with
hundreds of members either suspended or disenfranchised.”
Her ASAP statement said that countless young age groupers’ swimming
careers were cut short as a consequence of Joseph’s actions.
“Joseph has created a complete mess of PASA as the swimming federation
recognized by FINA. PASA, in its present state, has been turned by
Joseph into his personal enterprise and has ceased to be the national
federation that represents stakeholders of Philippine swimming,” the
statement added.
The
competition, originally set this weekend, was postponed to give swimmers
from Mindanao enough time to prepare for the event which kicks off the
monthly swimming circuit organized by the Philippine Swimming League.
MANILA,
Philippines - The Philippine Swimming League continues its successful
grassroots program with another busy schedule this year starting with
the first UP Varsity Team sprint meet on Jan. 22 at the Diliman
Preparatory School on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
.jpg)
MANILA,
Philippines — Bosay Aquatic Club stamped its class by winning three gold
medals in the morning session of the first Sen. Nikki Coseteng Swimming
Championship yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
