PSC chief frowns on RP boxers' forfeiture at SEA Games

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William "Butch" Ramirez is not in favor of the near-walkout that took place on Thursday (December 13) in the men's boxing finals of the 24th SEA Games boxing in Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand. "What should have been done is to take a step back, draw a deep breath and not let emotions affect your decision," Ramirez said in a report issued on Friday by the Philippine delegation. "Naging emotional kasi masyado, and that, I believe, is not the right route to take, especially in an international sporting competition such as these games." Ramirez was referring to the support shown by the officials in the RP delegation in Thailand – delegation chief Monico Puentevella, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) second vice president Manny Lopez, POC secretary-general Steve Hontiveros, and Wushu Federation of the Philippines president Julian Camacho. In what is probably a record in the biennial meet, Thai boxers made all 17 weight category finals and highlighted their dominance by winning six of seven matches, five of them against Filipinas, on Wednesday (December 12). Only flyweight Annie Albania won her finals bout – and only she knocked down on the very first round her Thai opponent. That spurred RP officials, including POC president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr., to hold a meeting later the same evening, and the group agreed to let Lopez, the amateur boxing chief, to decide on whether to forfeit the seven RP male boxers' gold medal matches scheduled for the following day. "A statement has to be made, that we will not legitimize the biased officiating that is rampant here, not only in boxing and not only against the Philippines," said PSC commissioner Richie Garcia, who is also deputy chief of the RP delegation in Thailand. Ramirez, who returned here after seeing to it the paperwork for the athletes' increased allowances are in order, was en route from Bangkok when the Filipino boxers made their move. He could only frown and shake his head upon learning of it. "The boxers should all have been made to fight because that's the sporting thing to do," he said. "Kung hindi man sila sport, hindi tayo dapat bumaba sa level nila." He added there are rules of engagement that are set whenever you see action in hostile territory. "Once nakita mo man na nadaya tayo, then you could file a protest, both formal and informal," he said. The RP boxers' move, he added, could have repercussions in the country's participation in the biennial meet, that's why sobriety and level-headedness should have been exercised. After two RP male boxers retired one after another the president of the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), Ching Kuo Wu, warned RP officials to have their boxers fight or face a two-year ban. According to a report posted in the online edition fo the the president of Thailand's Amateur Boxing Association, General Taweep Jantararoj, insisted there was nothing wrong with the officiating and that the Filipino boxers were inferior to the Thais because they were from their B squad. ''If they send their second-string team, they can't expect to win,'' Taweep told the Bangkok Post. ''I don't know what they are trying to achieve by doing this, there was nothing wrong with the judging.'' Referees also saw nothing unusual in the officiating. ''All the fights were judged fairly,'' said Taha Mah Joub Yassi Alfityani from Jordan. Vietnamese referee Van Hung Le added: ''The Thai boxers were better than the Filipinos.'' - GMANews.TV