Friday, March 30, 2007 Sayson: Resisting the temptation to gloat By Homer Sayson Second Overtime
CHICAGO - The delightful Marian C. Baring, the beautiful rose among the male thorns in these sports pages, penned a banner headline story the other day that screamed with mild shock and minor amazement.
In so far as sending a delegation to the Arafura Games this year is concerned, the "PSC won't accept CCSC list," Marian wrote in an incisive, 17-paragraph report. PSC senior executive assistant Joseph Encabo told Sun.Star Cebu the "deadline has been extended far too many times already."
Obviously, the Cebu City Sports Commission dropped the ball here. But instead of owning up to its large shortcomings, the CCSC opened a blame hotline and conveniently threw Dr. Danilo Villadolid under the bus.
Dr. Villadolid, City Hall officials said, “was not able to come up with the list because of his busy schedules.” Okay, I may be dumb. But not dumb enough to buy this silly excuse.
Having worked at the CCSC before, during the diamond era of Joy Young and Koko Holganza no less, I know Dr. Villadolid and his work ethic. He is not, in any way, shape or form, irresponsible as unfairly portrayed.
Dr. Villadlolid is a proven multi-tasker. He can juggle bowling balls, breath fire, and ride a unicycle at the same time. Please do not insult my intelligence and tell me that Dr. Villadolid cannot come up with a list that requires only a pen and a piece of freakin' paper.
The question is, did the CCSC really want to come up with the list?
It seemed to me that the CCSC only developed an appetite for the Arafura Games after the Greater Cebu Sports Organizing Committee (GCSOC), led by Atan Guardo, announced that it would send a group of athletes to Darwin, Australia.
I reached Marian Baring last night while she was having dinner at SM. She told me that one official previously declared that the CCSC “will not spend a single centavo" for the Arafura Games because they had "other priorities."
Guardo, apparently, had altered those priorities. But it was too late and lacking with resolve. Ah, politics. Don't you just hate it when comes into play and messes up some of the remaining innocence in amateur sports?
In the end, Guardo's GCSOC beat the CCSC to the Arafura punch. By knockout. "The GCSOC, which was able to come up with a list early, will be the official representatives of Cebu," Marian's report confirmed.
The urge to gloat and bark "I told you so" was extremely tempting. But Guardo resisted those with class and amazing grace. "I formed the GCSOC to compliment, not compete with the CCSC. We are saddened by the CCSC's failure. And we feel terrible for the athletes in their roster who are now unable to join us in Australia and compete with the rest of the world," Guardo told me last night via cellular phone.
"We have been unfairly accused of using the Arafura Games as a political means. But we decided not to dignify those claims with a reply and chose only to finalize our lineup and coordinate with the organizers and the PSC. We talked less and worked more. We are now reaping the fruits of our labor," said Guardo, the former CCSC chair.
Earlier yesterday, Cebu City councilor Jack Jakosalem called my mobile phone and informed me that PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez indicated that CCSC's list may indeed still be accepted.
Jack wanted to elaborate, but twice, our chat was rudely cut off my bad reception.
But I'm not surprised by this latest twist. Jack, you see, has more strings than a violin. He always gets things done, jobs accomplished. Fail and failure are not in Jack's deep vocabulary. And this Arafura mess is not an exception.
Jack, I am told, is no longer as involved with the CCSC, which is now run by businessman Michel Lhuillier. Jack's time is now more devoted to other causes related to public service. But the Arafura Games list fiasco is a misstep that demands for Jack to meddle once in a while.
It's been less than two years since Guardo left the CCSC. But the sports-loving Cebuanos miss him already. They miss his genuine people-skills, his hands-down approach, and the efficiency with which he ran the CCSC.
And most importantly, the Cebuanos miss the solid results and the maelstrom of sports activites that the CCSC used to consistently produce during Guardo's reign.
