Ramirez hands off in Fernandez-Peping word war

MANILA, Philippines -  Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez has no intentions of fanning the fire caused by the raging word war between Philippine Olympic Committee chief Jose Cojuangco and PSC commissioner and former basketball superstar Ramon Fernandez.

“There are things that shouldn’t have been said,” Ramirez said yesterday when asked to comment about the issue, adding that there are far bigger tasks up ahead for sports officials, including the 29th  SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur in August.

“This issue is just a periphery. Let’s focus on the SEA Games,” he said at the close of the “Rising Together Baton Run” at the CCP Complex, a short fun-run that aims to drum up the forthcoming SEA Games. 

In last week’s PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay, the POC president accused Fernandez of fixing and throwing games during his illustrious PBA career that spanned two decades and earned him 19 championships, four MVP awards and a spot in the PBA Hall of Fame.

Fernandez, now 63, has become a very vocal critic of Cojuangco since being appointed by President Duterte to the PSC last year. He said the 82-year-old POC president has more serious questions to answer, including the alleged misuse of funds for sports.

The basketball icon is planning to file a libel case against Cojuangco.

“I will answer his accusations in the proper forum. The newspaper is not the proper forum to answer these accusations. He called me a game-fixer when he should call me a team-fixer because I helped my teams win championships,” Fernandez told The STAR yesterday.

Ramirez has somehow been dragged into the controversy when he was quoted as saying that the PSC has the right to monitor and oversee the preparation of the Philippine delegation, including the training of the athletes to the SEA Games and other major international events.

The PSC chairman said if the POC won’t allow that, then the latter should start looking for its own funds.

“They (PSC) don’t have the authority to do that. The job of the PSC is to finance. Period,” said Cojuangco last week.

Yesterday, Ramirez tried to clarify the situation.

“With the grassroots (programs) we (PSC) are the lead. But in international competitions it’s the POC. We don’t dictate the preparations. We are just here to support them. Those matters belong to the NSAs,” said Ramirez.

“I have committed to them that I will support them up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” added Ramirez.