Dagmil says Sy ‘moonlights’ as school coach

MANILA, Philippines - Long-jump specialist and Philippine record-holder Henry Dagmil has turned the tables on his long-time coach Joseph Sy.

The coach is already in hot water because of allegations that he’s not performing all his duties as head coach of the Philippine track team.

The Philippine Sports Commission, which provides the allowances and salaries of the athletes and coaches in the national pool, has found out that Sy is also busy serving as track coach of a private university, and that he would opt to spend more time in Manila when the national athletes are based in Baguio.

The PSC has formed a committee to hear the side of the embattled coach.

But Dagmil, winner of three gold medals and the reigning champion in the Southeast Asian Games, yesterday faced the media and spilled more beans against his coach.

He said Sy, for many years now, has been acting as money lender to athletes and coaches not only from track and field but other disciplines as well.

As collateral, Dagmil said Sy would ask for the ATM cards of those indebted to him to make sure that nobody gets away.

Sy charges an interest of two percent a month, which is rather low as compared to others.

Dagmil said at one time, he racked up loans from Sy amounting to as much as P200,000 since the coach started lending him money in the early 2000s.

Dagmil said he has paid all his debts especially when he became a priority athlete with a monthly allowance of P30,000.

“I owe him no more,” said Dagmil in Filipino. He said other members of the track team are willing to sign a letter denouncing Sy’s practices.

But Dagmil also admitted that Sy would sometimes lend him small amounts of money with no interest.

“If I borrow like P5,000 and tell him it’s just to buy food supply, he would draw it from his wallet with no interest,” said Dagmil.

Dagmil also alleged that while he was indebted to Sy, he was threatened with expulsion from the team. But at the same time, he said he seldom sees his coach even as he trained.

“I seldom see him. He would not even give me a training program,” Dagmil said.

Sy reacted to the latest allegations, saying he was loaning money to the athletes and coaches because he wanted to help them.

“I don’t feel guilty because they’re the ones who seek my help. They incur huge debts from those seeking huge interests,” said Sy.

“I’m just helping them,” said Sy, whose monthly salary of P20,000 from the PSC has been withheld as a result of the investigation.

But PSC commissioner Jolly Gomez, who unearthed Sy’s failures as a head coach, said it’s not proper for Sy to hold on to the ATM cards of those who are indebted to him.

“That’s unfair to the athletes and coaches,” said Gomez, adding that upon learning of the matter, he asked the track athletes to show him their ATM (where athletes and coaches draw their allowances).

“No one could show me one,” he said.