Cojuangco allies willing to mend broken ties with Angping

MANILA, Philippines – Sepak Takraw president Mario Tanchangco and his fellow national sports association (NSA) presidents are willing to seat down with Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Harry Angping to settle its differences with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). “Me and several other NSA presidents are willing to seat down with chairman Angping to discuss the cooperation between the PSC and the NSAs," said Tanchangco during Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey's UN Avenue. But Tanchangco, who is also the Chief de Mission to the Laos Southeast Asian Games in December, added that talks must start first between POC president Peping Cojuangco and Angping. “Talks must start at the top, after that we will follow," added Tanchangco. The POC and several NSAs are at odds with the leadership of Angping, who is closely associated with Art Macapagal of the Philippine National Shooting Federation (PNSF). Macapagal ran and lost against Cojuangco in the last POC election. However, the bad blood between the two sides continued that gravely affected the relationship between the PSC and the POC. Tanchangco added that the POC is continually talking with the athletes and telling them not to be affected by the current face-off between the POC and PSC. “We have talked to them (athletes) and told them that they have to just focus on their training for the upcoming SEA Games." Just last week, Angping said that the sports commission will stop funding NSA officials’ travel expenses adding that most foreign trips by the said officials, who are acting as managers of national teams competing abroad, are mere junkets. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV