Philippine Olympic Committee President Declares War Against Philippine Sports Commission
Hangzhou, China – Just a day after the Philippines celebrated their long-awaited victory in Asian basketball, a bombshell was dropped. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino surprised a small group of reporters by declaring war against the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), claiming he had been betrayed.
Tolentino expressed his frustration with the lack of teamwork between the POC and PSC officials throughout the 19th Asian Games, stating, “We did it as projected and we delivered despite the distraction… local distraction.” Although he did not directly name individuals, Richard Bachmann, a former basketball official, currently heads the PSC.
The outrage stemmed from a PSC letter, discovered on September 20, which indicated an unliquidated financial assistance of P10 million ($198,000) given to the POC for Filipino athletes’ participation in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. Tolentino, who was not involved with the POC at that time, expressed his disbelief, saying, “We weren’t even born yet [in 1998].”
Tolentino, who officially assumed the role of POC President in 2020, was elected interim president in 2018. The letter, sent through the PSC’s in-house Commission on Audit (COA) office, was dated just three days before the Asian Games’ opening ceremony. Tolentino questioned the timing, asking, “Why send the letter on September 20? Why not after the closing ceremony? Perhaps October 10 when we have all gone home.”
Despite keeping the matter to himself during the games, Tolentino felt compelled to speak out after the Filipino athletes achieved their goal of winning four gold medals. He described the situation as “that bad.” The P10 million in question can be traced back to the time when Cristy Ramos was the president of the POC and was allocated for the campaign of Philippine athletes in the Bangkok Asian Games.
The financial assistance for the Bangkok campaign was initially provided by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation but was later deducted as the government gaming body’s contribution to the PSC. Tolentino also noted that the particular PSC check for P10 million was only released in September 2016, a staggering 18 years after the Bangkok games.
While waving the Philippine flag on September 19, the first day of the Asian Games, the POC received the letter with an instruction to respond within five days upon receipt. Tolentino questioned the timing, suggesting a malicious intent and bad faith on the part of the PSC.
This incident has ignited a heated feud between the POC and PSC, casting a shadow on the Philippines’ recent triumph in Asian basketball. The altercation between these two key sporting organizations will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the future of Philippine sports.
