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It is cruel indeed to be reminded of the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. The Philippines could have landed at third place in the recently-concluded Laos Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, at most, if not only for the brouhaha that baffled the national cycling team.
That brouhaha was caused, yet again, by divisive politics. And divided, our national team fell.
Where it began
The cycling controversy started as early as 2008, when 12 national cyclists led by 2007 SEA Games gold medalists Maritess Bitbit and Alfie Catalan accused and sued then Philippine Cycling Federation (PCF) chair Bert Lina, a businessman, and other PCF officials and coaches, of graft in the Ombudsman. According to sports columnist Manolo Iniego, the athletes alleged that the respondents purchased “inferior and overpriced equipment which they used in the last SEA Games in Thailand.”
Though the athletes won four golds, one silver, and five bronzes, the team landed at fourth and could have placed higher, granted that the athletes' allegations were true. A cycling insider who wishes not to be identified told this writer that “most of the national cyclists come from [financially] poor families and could not purchase high-end equipment on their own.”
“These athletes capitalize only on their superb skills and determination, not on equipment,” the source added. Iniego added in his column that the bankrolling Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), then headed by chair William Ramirez, dismissed the row as an “internal affair” and “temporarily cut off financial assistance” to PCF.
Leadership dispute
The following year, a leadership row erupted in the cycling team, resulting in two factions. On one side was the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling), which elected former national cycling champion and World Championship veteran Rolando Hiso, and on the other was the Philippine Cycling Association (later the Philippine Cycling Federation of PCF), which elected Abraham Tolentino, incumbent mayor of Tagaytay City and a colleague of Lina.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the official Philippine sports sanctioning body, recognized Hiso as the legitimate National Sports Association (NSA) head for cycling. However, Hiso resigned a month after being elected and transferred the leadership to shipping mogul Mikee Romero in June 2009. PhilCycling later elected former national cyclist Arnulfo Taberdo as chairperson and national team manager.
Meanwhile, the PSC favored PCF and provided it with funding. The PCF also enjoyed recognition from the international sanctioning body International Cycling Union (UCI).
The bottomline of the row is that while PhilCycling has the authority to create creating and coach the national team, being officially recognized in the Philippines, PCF received funding from PSC and is the only NSA that can compete internationally, being licensed by the UCI.
SEA Games ban
The dispute between PhilCycling and PCF resulted in the national cycling team being banned from the Laos SEA Games, as all of its member cyclists, except for Bitbit, joined PhilCycling. PCF, on the other hand, acquired Bitbit and gave her a UCI license.
The other cyclists were not given UCI licenses, despite Taberdo's request and the Laos SEA Games organizing committee's approval of the PhilCycling roster.
The SEA Games Federation later wrote an appeal to UCI. But according to POC spokesperson Joey Romasanta, UCI head John McQuaid replied to the Federation that “the decision to allow the Filipinos to compete is in the hands of Tolentino.” He also revealed that “perhaps because of the long-standing business relationship between Lina and UCI head John McQuaid, who handled the FedEx Tour of Luzon in previous years, UCI gave its recognition to Tolentino”
Romasanta added that present PSC Chair Harry Angping “ordered the cancellation of allowances” of the team and the national training pool at the midst of the controversy.
The burden of Bitbit
As a result of the mess, the national cycling team pulled out. However, another controversy was sparked, this time involving two-time SEA Games gold medalist Bitbit.
Bitbit, being the only UCI-licensed cyclist in the roster, could have had a shot at the SEA Games gold by her lonesome. Romasanta said that though Bitbit was not part of the “original roster,” PhilCycling accepted her after “pleading” to be included in the lineup.
During the cycling team's withdrawal from Laos, Bitbit reportedly signed the team's letter of withdrawal “as a sign of unity,” according to a Philstar.com report. However, Bitbit, in a television interview, said that she was “deprived” by POC of joining the SEA Games, during a talk with a POC official whom she did not identify.
“I explained to them my training, my sacrifices, my chances, but they told me that if I compete I’d act like 'Judas' in the team and betray the people,” Bitbit lamented.
“What hurts... is that she was willing to fight for the country even by her lonesome. But she was prevailed upon by delegation officials to show that she is united with her teammates who were disqualified. I was talking to her (Bitbit) this morning and she was crying because she told me that she really wanted to compete because she felt she has a big chance to win at least two gold medals, especially in the cross country event because the Thai cyclist who beat her is no longer around,” said PCF spokesperson Jojo Villa.
However, POC President Peping Cojuangco stressed that Bitbit's withdrawal was on record and was finalized by the SEA Games organizing committee, which later rejected Bitbit's appeal to join the games. “We came here as a team and we will leave here as a team. In sports there is such a thing as teamwork and if we do not practice it we will get nowhere and it would be a betrayal of the support given by the [SEAG Federation] if our cyclists did not act as one," said Cojuangco.
On his part, Villa branded Cojuangco and POC as “unpatriotic” for asking Bitbit to withdraw.
Former cyclist Senator Pia Cayetano has issued a proposal to investigate the row in the Senate, which Cojuangco strongly supported.
Flat tire
With the disputes, the Philippine cycling team is experiencing a flat tire in the pursuit of leading, at least within the region, in cycling.
In this row, rules must be strictly followed and implemented. Philippine laws must be applied.
Article V(f) of the POC charter states that POC is mandated to “decide... all questions on the amateur status and discipline of athletes as well as members of the NSAs and all disputes between their members.” Moreover, the PSC charter (Republic Act 6847) in Sections 12 and 13 states that the POC and NSAs are “autonomous” and are accredited by the International Olympic Committee.
It is disheartening that despite its legal mandate, POC seems to be toothless and is in fact superseded by foreign bodies such as UCI. It is also disheartening that the row ended up building factions instead of bridges.
As this issue seemingly cannot be resolved on Philippine soil, the International Olympic Committee, being the mother of all sports agencies, must serve as the final arbiter. If this won't be resolved immediately, the bicycle of divisiveness, not only in the cycling team but in the entire Philippines, will just easily overtake the bikes of the athletes.
Photo: “mountain trail” by gulag, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
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