PSC TO BLAME OVER BOXERS PLIGHT, NOT THE AFP
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 22 Jul 2015
Picson.
While it is true that the Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines has appealed to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the release of outstanding boxers in the national pool so they could have time to train for the Asian Championships which opens in Bangkok, Thailand on August 25 which serves as a qualifier for the for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar in October, the non-release of the boxers is the fault of Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia and not the Defense Department and the AFP.
The New Standard/boxingmirror.com has learned that the boxers were recalled to their various military units when their Detailed Service permits from the AFP lapsed with an extension being sought by the PSC until days after the DS had lapsed leaving the AFP no choice but to recall the boxers and re-assign them to their mother units.
The agreement on the DS permits was entered into by PSC chairman Garcia and the AFP with the ABAP out of the picture.
However, the failure of the PSC to apparently do its job forced the ABAP under its president Ricky Vargas to appeal to Secretary Gazmin to allow the chosen boxers and their trainers to get back into training camp since time was running out.
In a letter dated July 16 Vargas told Gazmin that ?after our successful stint in the SEA Games last June we started to prepare them for the all-important qualification tournaments for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.?
Vargas pointed out that the first phase of qualification is on August 25, 2015 in Bangkok which is just a little more than a month away. However, he said ?last July 1 our boxers who are in the military were recalled to their mother units after their Detailed Service lapsed on June 30.?
Vargas noted that ?as you probably realize boxers need more than two months of training for such an important tournament. Thus they are now behind schedule? even as he appeal to Gazmin to allow the boxers to return to their training center to resume preparation for the Olympic qualifiers as soon as possible.?
There are eight boxers who include gold medalists in the recent Southeast Asian Games where the Philippines won 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals to emerge as boxing champions well as their coaches still waiting for the proper DS clearance.
ABAP Executive director Ed Picson sounded helpless when he said that right now ?we have no team in the Asian Championships because we don?t have a chance to evaluate our boxers? who are regarded as the country?s best hopes in the quest for an elusive first Olympic gold medal.
Picson himself declined to blame the AFP pointing out that ABAP understands the protocol which is why they are appealing even as he expressed the hope that they would be given due consideration since it is ?as urgent as it can get? as it takes more than a month at the very least to prepare for such a highly competitive tournament as the Asian Championships.
Among the boxers stymied by the absence of the DS forms are London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga, Rey Saludar, Wilfredo Lopez, Eumir Felix Marcial, Dennis Galvan, Junel Cantancio. Mario Fernandez, Gerson Nietes, Joegin Ladon and Nico Magliquian.
The coaches listed are Pat Gaspi, Ronald Chavez, Harry Tanamor, Romeo Brin, Violito Payla, Elmer Pamisa.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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