|
THE
rampant illegal activities in boxing countries in
Southeast Asia are actually an extensive problem
hounding Philippine boxing for more than three decades
now.
According to a veteran matchmaker who was contacted by
BusinessMirror, the unauthorized use of a fighter’s name
has been widespread not only in Thailand but also in
Indonesia.
“Kaming
mga legal na matchmakers ang nasisira sa ginagawa ng mga
Pinoy na nasa Thailand kasi madalas nilang ginagamit
’yung mga pangalan ng boxers namin dito [We who are
legal matchmakers are the ones discredited because of
the actions of these Filipinos in Thailand since they
use the names of our fighters here],” said one active
matchmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity.
BusinessMirror learned that a number of personalities
involved directly or indirectly with the boxing division
of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) during the 1990s
were in cahoots with other racketeers in Thailand and
Indonesia.
“Hindi
na bago ang mga kalokohan na ’yan. Hindi ka ba magtataka
kung bakit inabot na ng halos 30 taon ay patuloy pa din
’yan? [The racket hasn’t changed. Don’t you ever wonder
why it’s been going on for the last 30 years?]” added
the matchmaker who was alluding to GAB’s incompetence in
handling the issue.
The
matchmaker said the activities of these dodgy figures
came to a halt during the time of former GAB head Manuel
Nieto up to the dynamic tandem of Nieto’s successor
Justinio Montano and his secretary-general Atty. Rudy
Salud.
BusinessMirror earlier revealed the identities of three
active boxers alleged to be illegally campaigning in
Thailand—Tata
Polinar, Rodel “Kid” Orais and Pit Anacaya. Polinar once
fought under another name, Roger Monserto.
“Ang
nakakalungkot, mga kapwa Pinoy din natin ang gumagawa
nito. Kaya nga ako natatawa na lang pati na din siguro
mga taga Thailand natatawa na sa atin. Bira tayo ng bira,
eh mga Pinoy din naman ang gumagawa nito [What’s sad is
that it is our fellow Filipinos who are doing this. I
find it laughable and the Thais too, that we keep on
hitting them but Filipinos are the ones behind this],”
added the matchmaker.
The
three were previously managed by Yolly Alfante who
earlier told the BusinessMirror about her firm intention
in helping the sport get rid of crooked personalities.
“’Yung
tatlong bata nakakausap ko pa at talagang napipilitan na
sila sa gusto ng nagdala sa kanila doon [I’ve been
talking to the three kids and they are really forced to
do whatever the ones who brought them there want] ,”
said Alfante “Sa totoo lang gusto na nilang bumalik
ditto [But what they really want is to go home].”
BusinessMirror learned that a certain Bong Obero has
been illegally importing Filipino boxers to
Thailand
for years now and was able to establish strong ties with
influential Thai promoters.
A number
of matchmakers and promoters confirmed the illegal deeds
of Obero, who was actually banned several years ago by
the GAB for the same offense when he was still licensed
by the country’s professional regulating agency.
Reportedly, Obero recruits Filipino boxers especially
those who feel down about their career locally. Once in
Thailand, the boxers will be asked to change names to be
able to get more fights than the usual.
“Sa
Thailand kasi hindi bawal ang magpalit ng pangalan and
hindi sila ganoon ka-istrikto sa identity ng boxers.
Basta may willing lumaban sa boxers nila pinapayagan
nila [In Thailand, it is not prohibited to change names
and they aren’t so strict with boxers’ identities. For
as long as there are those willing to fight their
boxers, they allow them],” added one fight manager.
Usually,
a fighter is given a travel authority by the GAB which
will then be presented by the boxer and his manager to
the governing agency in Thailand.
The same
travel authority is used a few more times by changing
the name of the fighter through the use of a computer
scanner and printer.
Other
“enterprising mischiefs” produce blank travel
authorities then forge the signature of GAB’s current
chairman Eric Buhain and other commissioners of the
agency.
Buhain
said their investigation is focused in pinning down one
particular person who is widely believed as the brain
behind these troubles. But Buhain refused to neither
confirm nor deny if they are after Obero.
Buhain
said their agency is still conducting a thorough inquiry
on the matter and is reportedly working in coordination
with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) under
its current chief Nestor Mantaring.
Fair
Deal
ACCORDING to Alfante, there are actually a good number
of quality fighters who are forced to fight veteran
campaigners in Thailand to pad their fight records.
The
problem, Alfante said, is that most of these fighters
usually get the raw end of the deal when their fight
ends up in the scorecards.
“Pag
hindi ka malakas, chances are dadayain ka nila sa
scores. Si Tata dapat champion na ’yan pero nu’ng title
fight niya hindi naging patas ang scoring kaya ayun,
napilitan nang sumama sa Thailand [If you’re not
connected, chances are you’ll get cheated in the scores.
Tata should have been champ already but the scoring
wasn’t fair during his title fight; that’s why he just
chose to go to
Thailand],”
added Alfante.
Alfante
also asked the GAB to solve not only the problems in
Thailand but also those pestering Philippine boxing,
specifically professional judging.
“Mga 90
percent dapat sa kanila retired na pero nagju-judge pa.
With due respect sa mga overaged nating judges, dapat
tanggapin din nila na mas kailangan natin ang mga batang
judges para na din sa future ng boxing [Around 90
percent of them should have retired already but they are
still judging. With all due respect to our aging judges,
they should accept the fact that we need younger judges
and give way to them for the future of boxing],”
disclosed Alfante.
All
these tomfoolery cropped up when a tragic incident
happened last Saturday in Thailand that led to the death
of 24-year-old fighter Lito Sisnorio.
The
Kidapawan City native Sisnorio died at the Piyamin
Hospital in Bangpli District, Samutprakam in Thailand a
day after he lost to former World Boxing Council (WBC)
flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul.
“World”
reacts
WORLD
Boxing Council (WBC) vice president Kovit Bhakdibhumi
vowed to work on stringent measures on all boxers to
ensure their safety inside the ring.
At the
same time, the WBC official lambasted iniquitous Thai
promoters responsible for endangering not only Filipino
fighters but all boxers for that matter.
According to Kovit, these wicked promoters and
matchmakers arrange fights without the approval of
national boxing commissions.
“I feel
very strongly about the death of Lito Sisnorio—we don’t
want these mismatches,” Kovit told Reuters in an
interview. “We have been warning the promoters in
Thailand. Now, we will check every fight, even the
warm-up bouts and the undercard fights.
“I don’t
care if the promoters are unhappy. That’s not
important.”
Kovit, a
retired Thai police general, said he fully supported the
GAB’s action to suspend Filipino boxers from fighting in
Thailand.
“We have
to find out exactly what happened and stop this from
happening again,” he said. “Fatal incidents can happen
in boxing, but we have to protect fighters the best we
can.
On
Monday GAB suspended indefinitely the issuance of travel
authority to all Filipino boxers wanting to fight in
Thailand.
The move
was the government agency’s action stemming from the
recent tragedy that befell Sisnorio.
“With
what happened to Lito, I am not prepared to allow even a
world title fight in Thailand involving Filipinos,”
added Buhain.
Buhain
disclosed that their agency had asked the Thailand
Boxing Commission several times before to coordinate
with the GAB on the importation of Filipino boxers.
Buhain
is hopeful that their latest action will compel Thai
authorities to sit down with them and come up with a
firm agreement that will protect not only Filipino
fighters but Thai boxers as well.
“Maybe
he (Sisnorio) was fighting too often. He had fought
before without approval. We cannot let this happen in
the future,” added Kovit.
Buhain
said a report was already forwarded to President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo and to Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita about Sisnorio’s death.
GAB also
approved during its special meeting yesterday a P100,000
financial assistance to the bereaved Sisnorio family to
be deducted from the GAB’s Boxers Welfare Fund.
The help
will come despite the fact that Sisnorio and fight
manager Gemmel Contayoso did not have a boxer-manager
contract.
Boxing
chief Nasser Cruz confirmed the report and said that all
they have is the application for license filed by
Sisnorio where the deceased fighter identified Gemmel
Contayoso as his manager.
Despite
that document, Contayoso did not submit a formal
boxer-manager contract signed by him and the boxer.
The
report was also substantiated by local promoter Leonel
Lazarito.
“Si
Contayoso kasi walang kontrata sa lahat ng boxers niya.
Basta ang ginagawa niya ay kinukuha niya lang ng laban
ang mga boxers niya bukod pa sa ginagastusan niya. Pero
lahat walang dokumento [Contayoso doesn’t have a
contract with all of his boxers. He just gets fights for
them and spends for them. But there’s nothing on
paper],” revealed Lazarito.
GAB
commissioner Angel Bautista and Cruz, meanwhile, will
leave for Thailand this afternoon to kick off their
investigation on the incident. They will meet with
Ambassador Antonio Rodriguez, officials of the Thai
Boxing Commission and other boxing officials in
Thailand,
including the fight promoter.
Palace
reacts
MALACAñANG, meanwhile, will give some “sizeable”
financial help to the family of Sisnorio. Executive
Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in his weekly news
conference that the GAB, upon orders of President
Arroyo, will pass a resolution providing cash assistance
to Sisnorio’s family.
“The
GAB, as ordered by the President, will meet and the GAB
board will pass a resolution to give a sizeable amount
to the family of Sisnorio,” Ermita said.
He
indicated that the assistance is the government’s way of
expressing its condolences to the Sisnorio family, who
lost a loved one because of the unethical practices of
the concerned promoters and managers.
“There
is no sense blaming the fellow who had died. The ones
who should be held accountable are the promoters and
managers. But the family of Sisnorio will be given cash
assistance by the government through the GAB,” Ermita
said.
He also
said that Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo
informed him that morning that the latter has directed
Ambassador Rodriguez to look into the matter and
coordinate with Thai boxing authorities.
Ermita
said Rodriguez would also “look at antecedents of how
these things happened” considering that it was not the
first time for unauthorized Filipino boxers to engage in
professional fights in Thailand. (With Mia Gonzalez) |
