Saturday, December 09, 2006 Cycling head rues meager allowance of Davao riders By Marianne L. Saberon-Abalayan
A DAVAO City cycling official urged Dabawenyo riders to quit the RP cycling team and come home instead.
"I urged them to come home after knowing about their pitiful state in the national team. They're just receiving a monthly salary of P4,000, an income not enough to sustain their daily needs," said Salvador Paholio Jr. of the Samahang Siklista ng Dabaw.
Paholio, who was a regional director of the now defunct Philippine Amateur Cycling Association (Paca), said Kennedy Guinoo recently came home while Edwin Paragoso, Nitzel Montebon and March Mcqueen Aleonar may follow suit.
"I really regret that I even helped them out to make it to the national team only to find out that they're not being treated well. I remembered having to solicit funds from Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to send the riders to Manila to join the qualifying races for the national team," he said.
"It's a pity because P4,000 wouldn't make ends meet for our riders considering the high cost of living in Manila. They really enjoyed it when I treated them to a meal. Montebon just got lucky somehow that she was able to work at the call center of Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista," Paholio added.
Paholio said he would no longer send riders to Manila for any qualifying tournament.
"I'm discouraged. I really pity our riders. I'll make sure it won't happen again. I just hope they come back soon," he said.
Paholio cited the ongoing friction between two national cycling groups that made life more difficult to the Dabawenyo riders.
