HARRY ANGPING

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping said Monday that the woeful performance of the Philippines in the recent Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam paints a gloomy picture on the country’s coming campaign in the Laos Southeast Asian Games.

Angping cited the country’s haul of one gold, four silver and five bronze medals, an output surpassed by seven of its nine rivals in Southeast Asia which also participated in the Vietnam meet.

“If this is any indication, we might finish last in the Laos SEA Games,” Angping said, stressing that neighboring Southeast Asian countries have tremendously improved.

Angping cited the 42 gold medals Vietnam won in the Indoor Games and the 19 collected by Thailand. Indonesia produced six golds while Laos finished with three golds along with Malaysia.

Singapore and Cambodia matched the Philippines’ one gold but claimed more silvers or bronzes than the Philippines with Singapore winning seven silvers and three bronzes while Cambodia had four silvers and seven bronzes.

“What I fear most is that Laos and Cambodia will catch up with us in international tournaments. And it happened in the Asian Indoor Games,” Angping said adding that the 153 athletes the agency named and will finance have chances since they passed the strict criteria the PSC laid out.

The PSC also remained firm in its decision not to financially support the additional athletes in the list the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) submitted to the Laos Organizing Committee which numbered 251 athletes and 135 officials.

Angping said he will not answer RP chief of mission Mario Tanchangco’s request letter for funding, and will just furnish a copy to their respective national sports association (NSAs) heads.

“Instead, I will write directly to the 153 athletes telling them that they have been chosen to play based on their performance as agreed upon by Tanchangco and PSC Commissioner Joey Mundo,” Angping said.

“The SEAG isn’t the time for exposure. Para yang bar exam. Hindi naman pwedeng gawin mong exposure yung bar exam.”

Angping also said the PSC will not be sending any of its personnel to the SEAG since no one, even himself, was not included in the list of officials named by the POC.

“I’m not even sure if I will go there,” he said.