Angping urges Noynoy name PSC chair soon

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping yesterday said the next PSC chief should take over as soon as the next President is sworn in so as not to disrupt the country’s preparations in various international tournaments, including the Asian Games.

“There will be birth pains and you only have less than six months before the Asian Games so it’s too close for comfort,” said Angping in a press briefing yesterday.

“So I hope that the next President will come up with an appointment as soon as possible,” said Angping, referring to President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

A ranking sports official recently said there are around 50 candidates for the top PSC post and four commissioners.

Angping also hopes that the next chairman will keep his programs until the end of the year since they have already been in place.

“I hope that the next chairman should be decent enough to see what I’ve done and programmed for the next six months,” Angping said. “If he has new ideas, maybe he should try them next year because everything is already in place.”

Angping said that a new program would not be beneficial since it might only disrupt the training of the athletes priming up for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November.

“What I’m concerned about is that the chairman might have his own ideas without thinking that the budget is already programmed for the year,” Angping said.

He also expressed his desire to brief the next chair about his programs and advise him to be more meticulous in dispensing funds for the athletes.

“I hope there will be some sort of a ‘Dirty Harry’ that will go around and see if the athletes are really complying because if not, the next chairman will be swamped with so many requests,” said Angping.

The PSC has named 16 elite athletes who will receive monthly stipends of P20,000 and no-nonsense training and exposures in preparation for the Asian Games this year and even the Southeast Asian Games in 2011 in Indonesia.

These include Marestella Torres in long jump, Rubilen Amit in billiards, Biboy Rivera in bowling, Wesley So, Joey Antonio and Darwin Laylo in chess, Marna Pabillore in karate, Miguel Molina and Daniel Coakley in swimming, Tshomlee Go, Toni Rivero, Camille Alarilla, Janice Lagman and Rani Ann Ortega in taekwondo, and Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey in tennis.

Angping said the PSC under his watch has settled its debts with the next chair set to receive the full amount of P45 million from Pagcor.

“There’s nothing to worry about financially as far as the next chairman is concerned,” said Angping.