Tour organizers hit PACA move on sanction

Organizers of the Tour Pilipinas have wanted from day one to have the multi-stage race that starts in 18 days sanctioned but are being shoved to do otherwise by a cycling federation that does not appear to have already settled its internal row.

In fact, the Tour‚s management committee (MANCOM) led by chairman Bert Lina, organizer Lito Alvarez and executive director Mar Mendoza, has forwarded about a month ago a letter of request for sanction to the Philippine Amateur Cycling Association (PACA).

The letter was addressed to the PACA as an organization, and not specifically to its chairman, Antonio "Loloy" Cruz, or president, Ponciano "Jun" Regalado Jr. Both officers acknowledged receipt of the letter but offered different courses of action.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has after months of arbitration recognized Cruz as chairman and Regalado as president. The POC imprimatur has resulted to a similar recognition of the two officials from the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Cruz is amenable and virtually unconditional to a sanction and stressed he has the support of the majority of the 15-member PACA board. Regalado also is agreeable but presented conditions deemed not palatable for the smooth conduct of the race.

The issue on sanction has bothered the national cyclists, all of whom admitted their desire to race. The Nationals feared of losing their slots on the team if they insisted in joining the Tour.

Ironically, national team coach Jomel Lorenzo and PACA secretary general Armando Bautista declared they have included the Tour Pilipinas 2003 as part of the national team‚s preparation for the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam this December.

The PACA did not inform beforehand the Tour‚s MANCOM that it was including the multi-stage race in its calendar of preparations for the Vietnam Sea Games. It was only when the issue on the sanction turned critical when the PACA officials revealed the scheme.

A sanction would be helping organizers of the 18-day, 15-stage Tour set April 26 to May 11 in terms of exemptions in withholding taxes on the P3.3 million prizes. But with or without the sanction, according to Lina, the taxes would be paid to the government.

The national cyclists almost did not make it to the list of 84 riders in the Tour when controversy traced to the PACA arose in February. But the MANCOM relaxed its policy, altered its timetable and accommodated the nationals who appealed for their inclusion.