Visa woes hound team bound for World Series

MANILA, Philippines - If record would be the basis, Team Manila-Philippines remains optimistic about its coming campaign in the 2014 World Series Girls Big League Softball Championship in Sussex, Delaware starting on Sunday.

Manila Little League Philippines president Rafael “Che” Borromeo said in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate that the country has always been a contender for the crown in the past decade, eventually clinching the crown in the 2012 edition of the tournament in Kalamazoo.

And he expects to be as competitive this year despite problems with their travel documents that saw four of their members being left behind for late issuance of their US visas.

“We’ve been title contenders until we won in  2012,” said Borromeo, a former Manila councilor, who’s now a senior executive assistant to the Office of Manila Mayor.

“And we are quite solid this time specially if we can come up with complete roster,” added Borromeo, referring to catcher Roxzell Pearl Niloban, pitcher Mary Ann Antolihao, Cristy Joy Roa, and Lovely Dyan Arago, who were all present in the session presented by Shakey’s, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. along with assistant coach Jayson Santos and liaison officer Arsenic Lacson.

The five are currently awaiting the release of their visas, which Borromeo hopes they get by Aug. 1.

“We re-booked their flights for Aug. 1,” he said, adding that a technical system problem in the US Embassy not only here in Manila but worldwide apparently had a lot to do with delay in the release of players’ visas.

“The problem is if their visas won’t be ready by Aug. 1, they might not be able to go,” said Borromeo.

Team Manila finished fourth last year after the event was transferred from Kalamazoo to Delaware.

Delaware won last year’s edition, and Borromeo expects the tournament host to be the fancied team again along with some entries from Latin America.

“The host team remains the top team to beat and then we have to count with a lot of latin american teams which had improved through the years, “he said.