By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is not blinking in his “war” against the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), stressing the government sports agency had a hand in the demand letter issued by the Commission on Audit (COA).
In the letter, the PSC’s in-house COA is asking the POC to liquidate a P10-million financial assistance that was released 25 years ago.
On Tuesday, PSC Chairman Richard Bachmann insisted that he has no knowledge on the sudden release of the COA report, saying: “I have no signature and therefore, the PSC is not involved.”
Bachmann also stressed that COA operates independently from the PSC and has the authority to examine, audit and settle all governmental accounts including those of the POC, and that the timing and issuance of letters to the POC by COA are not within the purview of the PSC.
Tolentino, however, refused to buy Bachmann’s clarification.
Tolentino said the demand letter’s intent was “malicious and distractive” and that it was timed at a time when Team Philippines was about to start competing in Hangzhou.
Proof of that was the Affidavit of Undertaking for the release of funds for this year’s Asian Games had a provision for the POC to liquidate P13.2 million including the P10 million for the country’s participation in the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.
“The Affidavit of Undertaking was sent to us weeks before the Asian Games started, or before the PSC and COA sent that demand letter last Sept. 20,” Tolentino said.
“It’s very clear in that affidavit that indeed, the PSC knew it all along,” he added.
Before a small group of reporters covering the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Tolentino slammed the move because it was given right after the formal flag-raising ceremony at the Asian Games Village.
Tolentino also disclosed that he and the POC advanced the payments to airlines, particularly Cathay Pacific, because of the urgency to book flights for the close to 400-athlete delegation.
“Time was running out in booking the flights so I and the POC diligently took the logical initiative to advance payments in order to guarantee that our athletes are flying to Hangzhou,” he said. “We started booking flights in the absence of a clear guarantee from the PSC only 10 days before the Asian Games.”
Provision No. 6 of the undertaking stated “I also acknowledge that as per the records of the PSC Accounting Division as of 30 August 2023, herein attached as ‘Annex A,’ POC has prior unliquidated financial assistance amounting to Thirteen Million Two Hundred Thirty-eight Thousand Twenty Pesos and Fifty Centavos (₱13,238,020.50).”
Besides the P10 million, the PSC asked the POC to liquidate P2.6 million for the “payment of expenses for delegation members not included in previous approved list of PSC for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, under BR No. 755-2022” and P663,000 “for the purchase of equipment/uniforms for the Philippine Swimming Team for the 32nd SEAG per BR No. 648-2023.”
“Those [P2.6 million and P663,000] we will liquidate, the documents are being completed,” Tolentino said. “But not the P10 million.”
