Angping seeks closed-door meeting to address issues

MANILA, Philippines - Before an executive session of the Senate, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping will answer, point by point, all the charges and accusations being leveled against him.

Last Thursday, the Senate conducted an inquiry into the state of Philippine sports and tried to identify the problems that have caused bickering among the country’s top sports leaders.

Angping failed to attend the hearing due to a previous commitment. While he was away, his counterparts from the Philippine Olympic Committee took turns raising issues against him.

Angping, a former Manila congressman, branded accusations of intervention and discrimination as baseless, saying these were “old songs and old issues” that have been addressed before.

“I have drafted my letter of apology explaining my absence to the Senate. And to satisfy everybody, I will request for an executive session. Then I will address all these issues,” said the PSC chairman.

Once given the chance by Senators Pia Cayetano and Gregorio Honasan, who are on top of the inquiry, Angping would present all the pertinent documents to refute all the claims against him.

“I will carry everything to the executive session, including the PSC’s financial statements,” said Angping, who said it was even a blessing in disguise that he was not able to attend Thursday’s hearing.

“Otherwise, things would have turned sour. They will throw everything at me and I’d be forced to defend myself. Baka maging sabong (Would have turned into a cockfight),” he said.

Even in Angping’s absence, those who were present – top POC officials Jose Cojuangco, Mark Joseph and Go Teng Kok, and the PSC commissioners led by Eric Loretizo – engaged in a word war.

That’s the reason Angping would rather answer all the issues before an executive session, where upon the request of a senator, the public is excluded from the gallery and the doors closed.

“Kagaya kanina, nag-babangayan na and so we tried to bring them back to focus and deal with the issues. Otherwise, there would have been an impasse,” said Honasan as he emerged from the hearing.

He said in the next hearing, which may come in two weeks, there should be “no cameras” so those who are invited “can talk more candidly.”

The Senate had conducted similar hearings in the past but Honasan said they were “contaminated by too much partisan and political activity.”

“I hope everybody can set aside their own personal ambitions to ensure that we work toward eliminating whatever stumbling blocks there are to allow our athletes to perform better,” said Cayetano.

“That’s my wish for Philippine sports,” she said.