Gilas’ Case Continues as POC President Vows to Fight for Inclusion of Players
HANGZHOU, China – The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is determined to push for the inclusion of four players in the Gilas team, despite facing multiple denials. Tolentino expressed his unwavering commitment to their cause during the flag-raising ceremony on Thursday, September 21.
“We will push it a thousand times. We’ll push it every minute. Every time they will deny, we will appeal,” said Tolentino.
The four players in question are Terrence Romeo, Calvin Abueva, Mo Tautuaa, and Jason Perkins. However, their chances of joining the team, now under the guidance of Ginebra coach Tim Cone, remain slim. To compensate for their absence, Cone has hastily acquired the services of Kevin Alas, CJ Perez, Arvin Tolentino, and Chris Ross. Additionally, Marcio Lassiter has been called up to replace an injured Roger Pogoy.
However, Cone now faces a predicament as the team is scheduled to face a Korean club team on Friday, September 22.
Meanwhile, Tolentino emphasized their commitment to supporting Gilas, saying, “Lahat ng dapat gagawin ay gagawin namin para makatulong sa Gilas.”
After the flag-raising ceremony, Tolentino also expressed excitement for the weeks of great action and camaraderie during the Asian Games. He highlighted that sports is a unifying factor for the nation.
Additionally, pole vault ace EJ Obiena and skateboarder Margielyn Didal will be accompanied by 80 Filipino athletes during the traditional parade of athletes in Saturday’s opening ceremony. Deputy Chef de Mission Karen Tanchanco Caballero revealed that the list of participating athletes is still being finalized.
The aim is to ensure that the athletes who do not have competitions the following day, adhere to President Tolentino’s policy of not distracting the team. Olympic boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann, and Chief de Mission Richard Gomez are among the expected participants.
The Philippines will be represented in 37 out of the 40 sports at the Asian Games, with hopes of surpassing the previous medal count of 4 gold, 2 silver, and 15 bronze won at the Palembang, Indonesia Games.
However, the early stages of the competition have been disappointing for Team PH. Rower Feiza Lenton and Tammy Sha failed to advance past the repechage stage while competing in the lightweight double sculls event at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre. Their rivals proved significantly stronger, as the Filipinos finished almost 25 seconds behind the top-ranked Uzbekistan team.
Similarly, Edgar Ilas and Zuriel Sumintac fell short in their bid to reach the final round, finishing third with a time of 7:10.97 in the lightweight double sculls event. They were 15.19 seconds behind the first-place finisher, India. Only the top two pairs in the repechage earned tickets to the Final A on Sunday.
The performances of Lenton, Sha, Ilas, and Sumintac on Sunday will determine whether they continue in the competition or become the first among the 365 Filipino athletes to be sent home.
