Working together

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Monico Puentevella called it the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Philippine sports, the unfolding of an era of unity.

Last Wednesday, Puentevella presided in the POC General Assembly meeting where newly appointed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richie Garcia was welcomed as a special guest.

“Now, we’re one family again, under one roof, fighting for our country and athletes,” said Puentevella. “When we leave for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, we’ll fly out in the same plane. No more separate flights. We’re all in this together. This reminds me of Michael Keon’s glory days at Gintong Alay when Philippine sports was managed harmoniously. Gone are the days of the POC and PSC being at odds. Now, we’ll work as one. And if we fail, there’s nobody to blame but us. This is our challenge. This is a rare chance for our sports leaders to show what we can do as a team for our country.”

The Philippines has never captured a gold medal in the Olympics and if the drought ends in London two years from now, the partnership of POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and Garcia will no doubt be a key contributor to achieving the feat.

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The chairmanship of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the government agency created to supervise professional sports, remains vacant and nobody knows when the void will be filled.

Lito Lacson of Bacolod City served as interim chairman for a few months after Eric Buhain left to assume a position in the Bureau of Immigration. But even before President Aquino took his oath as Chief Executive, Lacson and GAB commissioners Angel Bautista (Sen. Bong Revilla’s cousin) and Monju Guanzon tendered their courtesy resignations. The GAB staff said the three officials no longer report for work.

The GAB is basically a licensing body. The chairman automatically becomes a recognized representative of the country in world boxing organizations and attends fight conventions around the globe. If the chairman has a specific designation as an official of a global boxing body, he may be called on to supervise big fights anywhere in the world. When there are disputes involving Filipino fighters, the chairman is expected to protect their rights. Without a chairman, nobody in government has the stature to speak for Filipino professional athletes.

The GAB, which was created in 1951, supervises professional sports such as boxing (male and women), basketball, jai-alai, horse-racing, cockfighting (international derbies), tennis, mixed martial arts, muay thai, table tennis, bowling, golf and billiards. It is also empowered to clamp down on illegal gambling. The GAB has a staff of over 200 based in Makati with satellite offices in Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Zamboanga and Bacolod.

Three names have surfaced as candidates for the chairmanship – former Sen. Freddie Webb, international matchmaker Lope (Jun) Sarreal Jr. and former PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad.

Webb is an Olympian and former professional basketball player. Sarreal’s father Lope, Sr. and late brother-in-law Flash Elorde are enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. Sarreal is a past president of the Rotary Club Rizal Mideast and now assistant governor whose pet project is the construction of a senior citizens and youth clubhouse at Kingsville, Antipolo, with the assistance of Gov. Jun Ynares. Trinidad is a popular TV broadcaster who covers major boxing bouts, including Manny Pacquiao’s foreign fights, and served 10 years as PBL commissioner.

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Whatever happened to Manny Pacquiao victim Joshua Clottey? Since bowing to Pacquiao on a near shutout in Dallas last March, the 33-year-old Ghanaian has been a virtual recluse. No promoter wants to touch him with a 10-foot pole particularly as he was a disgrace in hardly putting up a fight against Pacquiao, raising both arms to protect himself in a survival mode throughout the 12-round contest. It was like Clottey went into the ring just to collect his paycheck – about $900,000 – and proclaim he went 12 rounds with Pacquiao.

In a recent disclosure to Matt Christie in Boxing News (July 16, 2010), Clottey admitted “it was one of my worst nights in boxing” and said “my body shut down and my system shut down and I didn’t feel like fighting.” Clottey said, “there was something wrong somewhere, I just couldn’t manage myself, I wasn’t there at all – I don’t know the reason why.”

Clottey said he’d like a rematch with Pacquiao but the likelihood is remote. “I’m ready to move up and fight (Miguel) Cotto and (Antonio) Margarito,” he said. “Nobody has hurt me in the ring – Pacquiao didn’t hurt me. He put his punches together better than the other guys I fought but no, I didn’t feel his punches.”

Clottey is now boxing’s forgotten man. When he fought Pacquiao, the Ghanaian got cold feet – the same case of fright that haunts Floyd Mayweather whenever someone mentions the Filipino’s name. Clottey and Mayweather are birds of the same feather – they’re scared stiff of being gobbled up by Pacman.