Court resets hearing on chess case

The initial legal battle between the warring Philippine Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation of the Philippines ended in a stalemate yesterday after the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 66 reset the hearing for the former’s petition for a Temporary Restraining Order at 10:30 a.m. today.

Presiding judge Ricardo Rosario decided to reset the hearing to give the NCFP, represented by lawyer Sammy Estimo, more time to prepare for the cross-examination of the PCF’s witness, PCF president Jesus Ingeniero.

PCF legal counsel Florante Bautista said the PCF had sought a TRO to stop the Philippine Sports Commission from extending financial assistance to the NCFP and prevent an NCFP-backed men’s and ladies’ teams from competing in the World Chess Olympics set next week in Istanbul, Turkey.

However, before the court could decide on the merits of the TRO, the PSC, earlier in the day, already released a check for P700,000 for the Olympics-bound NCFP team. The amount will cover the airfares, daily food allowances and board and lodging of the RP men’s and women’s teams.

The PCF counsel also asked the court to stop the NCFP from sending a team to the Olympics pending resolution of the case filed by the PCF against the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee and the NCFP.

In filing the case, Bautista said the NCFP had "unrightly disenfranchised the former as the sole governing chess body in the country."

"Our main agenda here is to seek due process because the PCF was unjustly kicked out as the country’s governing body," Bautista explained.

"What we’re after here is to get justice for the PCF. So we’re petitioning for a Temporary Restraining Order stopping the NCFP from leaving the country and participate in the World Chess Olympiad."

The PSC, through its legal counsel Dole Llanto, said it is endorsing the case to the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, which might represent the sports agency in the resumption of the hearing today.

PSC chair Carlos Tuason said he gave the check to the NCFP in good faith, stressing the government sports body was just performing its duty of providing financial assistance to a group duly-recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

"We just did what we were supposed to do. Since the NCFP is the recognized chess body in the country by the POC and FIDE, it has the right to claim the financial assistance," said Tuason. — With report from Abac Cordero