Check for Arabejo's US expenses ready - PSC

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Sports Commission has signed a check worth P450,000 representing reimbursements for national tanker Ryan Arabejo’s expenses while training for the Beijing Olympics in the US.

“I have the check worth P450,000 for Ryan Arabejo. It’s in my office but I’m waiting for someone to get it,” said PSC chair Harry Angping said yesterday.

The amount was intended to cover the expenses incurred by the 18-year-old Arabejo while training for last year’s Beijing Olympics at Bolles University in Florida where he is currently on an athletic scholarship.

Aquatics chief Mark Joseph, who, with Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and sec-gen Steve Hontiveros, who left for Kuwait early this week to attend the Olympic Council of Asia meeting, earlier accused Angping of sitting on the budget intended for Arabejo.

The release of the funds, Angping said, should set the record straight that he is not against Filipino athletes training overseas.

The PSC chief said he would continue supporting Fil-Am netters Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey, who recently powered RP to a Davis Cup win over Hong Kong.

“I never said I’m against Filipino-foreign athletes or Filipino athletes training abroad. I just want to give equal opportunities to our homegrown talents,” said Angping.

Arabejo was a member of the five-man swimming team that included Miguel Molina, Daniel Coakley, Christel Simms and JB Walsh in last year’s Olympics in Beijing.

Arabejo clinched the bronze medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle in the 2005 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. He saw action in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar where he competed in the 100-meter back and 400-meter freestyle.

In the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand, Arabejo won three gold medals. – Joey Villar