The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) yesterday told the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to toe the line in handling the affairs of Philippine sports with POC president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco Jr. labeling commissioner Ramon Fernandez not only as a troublemaker but a game fixer.
Appearing at the weekly PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City, Cojuangco said he doesn’t have any quarrel with PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez but is obviously distrustful of Fernandez.
Cojuangco insists that it is the POC that will handle “the training of elite athletes and the PSC will take care of the grassroots level.”
Cojuangco likewise stressed that it is crystal-clear that the PSC doesn’t have the power to dip its fingers in purely POC matters such as the athletes’ training.
“I was a member of the Congress that passed the PSC law,” said Cojuangco, noting that while the agency has supervisory and visitorial powers, it doesn’t mean that it can take an active stance on the athletes’ training.
“The visitorial power is for funding,” said Cojuangco, noting that the agency was created solely for the purpose of financing the activities and competition of athletes as well as their training.
“They (PSC) don’t have the authority. They have their own ideas in running things. (But) I can’t see anywhere in the law that they are mandated to train (athletes),” said Cojuangco.
As for pointing an accusing finger on Fernandez as being the reason why the PSC and POC are seemingly at odds, Cojuangco believes that it is the retired cager from Cebu City who is the one ruffling the feathers.
“How can we entrust the national athletes to somebody who threw away games?” said Cojuangco.
Fernandez’s vocal stand against the POC leadership “is hurting both the PSC and the POC,” according to the 82-year-old Cojuangco.
Cojuangco feels that if the PSC continues to make noise, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) might take notice.
“That’s government intervention that they’re (the PSC) doing,” said Cojuangco, sounding apprehensive about the IOC suspending the country.
“But I won’t allow that (PSC intervening) to happen,” said Cojuangco, who is on his fourth four-year-term as POC chief.
