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Friday, August 05, 2005
Rodriguez to pursue trip to Bali for RP mt.bikers
By Mike T. Limpag
Sun.Star Correspondent
The Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) may have found a savior in Danao City Councilor Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez, who volunteered to help the RP mountainbike team bound for the Asian Mountainbike Championships in Bali, Indonesia on Aug. 17-21.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu yesterday, Rodriguez, also the Danao’s sports commission chairman and member of the Cebu Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Cebusoc), said he will personally look for funds for the RP team’s stint.
Promised medals
“I am going to save this trip for the love of country. I’ll look for sponsors so we can join because this is very important,” Rodriguez said. “It will count as 50 percent of our preparation for the coming Southeast Asian Games.
“I was worried when Philcycling cancelled this trip since we promised to win medals in the Seag. How can we do it without scouting our opponents?”
The country’s top cycling officials earlier cancelled the RP team’s trip to the National Thailand Track Championships in Chiang Mai on Aug. 12-13 and the Asian Championship, for lack of funds.
It even led to PhilCycling secretary-general Mar Mendoza blaming officials of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the First Gentleman Foundation (FGF) for their alleged “inefficiency” that led to the cancellation of the trips.
Rodriguez will bring Cebuano Niño Surban, Maritess Bitbit, Eusebio Quiñones and Eric Feleciano to Bali.
“I told the riders it doesn’t’ matter if we stay in a hut in Bali. I’ll shoulder it since we will host the Seag mountainbike event, and I want some medals,” Rodriguez said.
Continued support
“We won a gold and two silvers in the (2003) Vietnam Seag, where only Eboy (Quiñones), Maritess and Eric competed.”
Mendoza’s allegations that officials of the PSC and FGF sat on the financial request of PhilCycling were refuted by PSC acting executive director Guillermo Iroy.
Iroy said the government sports body has not stopped supporting PhilCycling even if its president, Alberto Lina, was among the “Hyatt 10” cabinet officials who called for President Arroyo’s resignation.
“We have continued supporting cycling. We released almost all outstanding payables (to cycling). In fact, we’ve given them more than P500,000 this year alone,” Iroy was quoted.
(August 5, 2005 issue)
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