Here's a detailed account of what transpired in the Senate Inquiry this morning as interpreted by sputnik of matchroomsportforums.
Author Topic
sputnik
Philippines
309 Posts
Posted - 28/05/2008 : 11:31:56
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Day one of the Senate inquiry did not go as BSCP expected it to go. They wanted to discredit GAB and they did not get anywhere near it.
After the Senators and the GAB and sports personalities spoke, it was BSCP's Yen Makabenta's turn.
Yen started off in reading his rhetoric like he was one of the senators. He spoke with a conviction of a seasoned politician in his now usual coat and tie. He did not embark from his published article on the position of BCSP against GAB (I think he read out his article verbatim). Everyone knew what he was talking about and had readied counter-attacks on them. Makabenta did not mention anything that he had not written about in AZBilliards. He obviously felt on top of his crusade with his deliberate parsing of his words.
It was as if someone needed to applaud after he spoke, but there was silence -- perhaps in relief of a long boring statement's ending.
Instead, all he got was flack from the senators.
In his barrage of questions, Senator Nene Pimentel mixed humor and cross examination to relax Makabenta. He started with qualifying the accusation of BSCP in GAB's "interfering" with BSCP's business when BSCP feels that it should not. Then he started pinning down Makabenta saying that everything was about a five letter word: M-O-N-E-Y. He asked about the P10 Million that was given by PAGCOR but both Fajardo and Makabenta initially denied receiving it. Not until Pimentel reminded them that they were under oath did Makabenta admit receiving the money as "sponsorship". In an open-ended conclusion, Pimentel suggested that this should be looked into in further investigations and he mentioned wanting to see financial statements.
Ouch!
Then it was Senator Lacson's turn. Known to be close to Mr. Sebastian Chua, all that Lacson could do after seeing the picture being painted was to excuse himself from the investigation. He knew that he would not look good having to defend BSCP.
Ouch!
Senator Gringo Honasan, chair or the investigating committee, then focused on the structure of the associations. Honasan made no conclusions as he was analyzing the situation. Honasan asked Efren Bata to talk about why they were in the inquiry (together with Django, Alcano, and Gomez). Efren said he was there to assure that the younger players will not be deprived of their chance to make it to big time pool. Efren also explained why the pros need GAB (as everyone knows, he himself is a victim of big time non-payment) and how GAB helps in acquiring travel visas in the different embassies.
GAB chairman Eric Buhain testified that he did not single out BSCP among other sports and other organizations. Buhain said that he merely acted on a complaint filed by some players against BSCP. Buhain also showed forms of Makabenta's membership in GAB in 2006 and 2007 and asked why suddenly in 2008, Makabenta does not believe that GAB should exercise its mandate of policing errants, specifically BSCP.
There was a common sentiment among agency chiefs: there is no issue in both BMPAP and BSCP handling simultaneous events because that is good for the pool player.
Then came Senator Allan Cayetano. Again focus was put into Makabenta's conflict of interest positions in heading bothe BSCP and Raya Sports. Philippine Olympic Committee Peping Cojuanco had no choice but to admit that indeed, no other NSA is in the same situation as Billiards where blatant conflict of interest is practiced.
Again back to the P10 Million, Cayetano diverted his questioning to Fajardo. In a convinient washing of hands, Fajardo cited that he was BSCP chair until Makabenta came in and brought in Raya and then Makabenta accepted the money from PAGCOR.
Puyat, gentleman as he is, stuck with the issues in expressing the need of GAB to be around. But Perry Mariano was straight to the point. He hit Makabenta's conflict of interest in both positions and actions. Perry directly accused Makabenta of indiscriminate handling of quotas from APBU and other tournaments who ask for player line-ups (apparently, Qatar asked for 15 players and BSCP had it all figured out and submitted). Perry then asked the players to talk again. This was when world champion Ronnie Alcano, with tears in his eyes, narrated how he was driven out of the gates of Star Paper in a qualifier that BSCP said was open to all players.
Joke of the day is when Makabenta asked for Edgar Acaba to speak out his sentiments. Acaba ended with saying that others want to remain amateur, others want to be pros. "I declare myself... a player!"
At the end, Makabenta did not look as cocky as when he made his opening speech. His shoulders had dropped into the horror that had backlashed on him: a senate investigation of where the money went. His voice quivered and his hands started to tremble.
Fajardo slouched back in his seat in horrified body language. In the audience back row, Chua seemed to be oblivious of what was transpiring in a poker face capable of wiping all the chips off the table. And Baranda, also in the back row, was slouched on his side with his hands on his face. He knew that there will be more senate investigations.
When Senator Honasan ended the session, all BMPAP supporters and many of the media people clapped their hands as all the BSCP people unceremoniously left the room, save for Makabenta, who propped himself up again against the cameras for an interview.
Nothing can prove BSCP's stupidity more than this senate investigation that they themselves requested. This is over P800 (Eight Hundred Pesos) that BSCP refused GAB of in a P1,000,000.00 tournament. Throwing all their cards on the table weeks before the investigation proved suicidal, especially because they did not have anything new to say. It was very unintelligent of them not to expect the whole army of BMPAP in he hearing. All they had were over-the-hillers Acaba and Andam.
Fajardo and Cojuanco put some distance from Makabenta in their not wanting to have anything to do with the P10 Million. Only Makabenta admitted to receiving the money. Remember that this 10 Million Pesos was first mentioned by Edwin Reyes months ago and was referred to by the BSCP as a baseless accusation.
Entering the Senate, Perry smiled at me and said: "May 28, 2008... this is a good day to kick some ass. Let's see what they will have to say in their text messages after this". As he went past Baranda and Makabenta, he greeted them by taking note of their coats and ties with specific contrast to his slippers. Perry was in a polo shirt with a jacket over it and in faded jeans... and slippers indeed! But what Perry, Putch and Edwin wore throughout that session was far more elegant than their counterparts': a huge smile on their faces.
What is next in the Senate is anti-climactic. BSCP had it coming in erroneously antagonizing GAB just because BMPAP affiliated itself with GAB in setting a Pro identity.
What is next outside of the Senate is what I heard from a little bird: some players had already formally brought BSCP to court for deprivation of potential earnings in tournament where they were barred from joining in lieu of BSCP's authoritarian selection of their own players. I believe that there are also intentions of filing libel and corruption cases in process.
World 10 Ball? After all the bad media... with no local stars... with the news that Archer was not paid and that they faltered in their payment to Matchroom... I highly doubt it materializing.
Sorry about the link provided, it's a Filipino Pool Forum.
