The Philippine Olympic Committee is setting its liquidation woes aside to focus on helping out naturalized player Justin Brownlee in his doping case.
With the International Testing Agency reporting that the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel resident import was positive for Carboxy-THC, POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the liquidation issue by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Commission on Audit for the P10 million at the 1998 Asiad in Bangkok will have to take a backseat for the time being.
Brownlee powered the Philippines to its first Asian Games gold medal in men’s basketball in 61 years after a 70 to 60 win over Jordan in the final and while the gold medal will remain in the Philippines, the 35-year-old could face a two-year ban in all competitions due to doping.
“The PSC wants to have a call to sit down with them but let me fix the Brownlee issue first. This one is heavy. Brownlee had a big effort in the Asian Games and other tournaments,” Tolentino said.
“The issue affected everybody. They (PSC) need to fix themselves first.”
The amount was traced back to the term of Cristy Ramos, the daughter of late President Fidel Ramos, as chief of the POC, which experienced financial issues with then PSC head Philip Ella Juico.
Last Tuesday, PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann extended his hand to the POC in the hopes of finding a solution that would benefit both of them.
“The timing and issuance of the letters of the POC by the CoA, therefore, are not within the purview of the POC. We have no control over that,” Bachmann said.
“All our engagements with participating athletes, medalists and non-medalists can hopefully attest to this. No wedge has been driven anywhere and no back has been stabbed.”
But Tolentino isn’t buying the explanation of the PSC after the CoA letter was given to him days before the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China officially opened last 23 September.
“I can accept their gesture of calling to sit down and talk things through but why did you do this? You could have done it at the beginning,” Tolentino said.
“We’re not under CoA. The normal procedure would be that the unliquidated funds will be under the PSC so CoA should chase the PSC and the PSC should ask us about it.”
“If they really hate us, they could have sent the letter on Christmas or on my birthday. Why do it at the start of the Asian Games? That’s not teamwork. That issue could have been solved earlier but why wait until the 2023 Asian Games?”
