Monico faces raps as Basoc chairman

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee is outside looking in as its chairman, Rep. Monico Puentevella, is being accused of failure to liquidate P50.5 million in government assistance to Bacolod City for its hosting of five major events during the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.

Jose Romasanta, spokesman of the POC, yesterday said the Philippine Sports Commission threatening to file a plunder case against the lawmaker from Bacolod City is “not so much a concern” for the Olympic body headed by Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.

“He (Puentevella) is being accused as Basoc (Bacolod SEA Games Organizing Committee) chairman and not as POC chairman,” said Romasanta who, however, added that Puentevella is not actually helpless as he faces the possibility of being charged with plunder.

“He is a congressman and I think he can defend himself,” said Romasanta of Puentevella, who claims that he is in the process of finalizing and ironing things out with the Commission on Audit regarding the liquidation of the P50.5 million he received from the PSC in 2005.

Cojuangco headed the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee or Philsoc which drew the bulk of the P300 million government assistance for the country’s hosting of the biennial event. Cebu, as another satellite venue, received P10 million from the government.

The PSC, through its lawyer Sixto Brilliantes, said Philsoc and Cebusoc (Cebu SEA Games Organizing Committee) have yet to fully liquidate the money they received from the government although Romasanta said Philsoc has nothing to hide and is in fact confident that it will soon be cleared.

Romasanta said the POC has nothing to do with all these liquidation woes.

“The POC and Philsoc are two different entities. It just so happened that those who headed Philsoc, including Mr. Cojuangco and Mr. Puentevella, were elected as POC president and chairman last November. It so happened that the personalities involved are both with Philsoc and the POC,” he said.

“So, it’s a Philsoc concern, and not the POC’s. We have to distinguish between the POC and Philsoc which has already submitted to the COA all the pertinent and adequate documents regarding the liquidation,” said Romasanta.

Philsoc made the bulk of its liquidation by turning over to the PSC, then under chairman Butch Ramirez, sports equipment worth P100 million. The pieces of equipment were used during the 2005 SEA Games where the Philippines won the overall championship for the first time in history.

Puentevella is confident that his name will be cleared, saying he’s been in constant communication with COA, and therefore it came as a total surprise to him when the PSC held a press conference last Monday saying it was preparing to file a case of plunder against him.

Puentevella, also head of the RP weightlifting association and PSC commissioner from 1994 to 2000, said Bacolod did an excellent job hosting boxing, football, beach volley, volleyball and weightlifting despite the fact that the money from the government came in late.