CITING due process, the Philippine Swimming Inc. board led by its president, Lani Velasco, yesterday appealed the decision of the International Swimming Federation, known by its French acronym FINA, to withdraw recognition on the local swimming body’s leadership last Saturday.
“We are respectfully appealing the decision of the FINA Bureau, as stated in the letter dated Dec. 3, and in addition we respectfully request that PSI, through Ms. Lailani M. Velasco, be given access to the complaints that were filed and be given the opportunity to respond to the same in accordance with the FINA Constitution,” the PSI said in a statement.
The PSI was responding to the correspondence of FINA Executive Director Brent Nowicki dated Dec. 3 addressed to Velasco that the world swimming body had withdrawn its recognition of the present PSI board while appointing a “stabilization committee” that would run the National Sports Association’s affairs, according to FINA statutes.
Appointed as members of the “stabilization committee” were Philippine Olympic Committee legal chief Atty. Wharton Chan, who named as a member of the “Philippine Sports Commission, Legal Department” in Nowicki’s memo; POC deputy secretary general Valeriano “Bones” Floro and Arrey Perez, Bases Conversion Development Authority senior vice president.
Chan is the secretary general of kickboxing, which is led by Sen. Francis Tolentino, the elder brother of POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
Perez will play a major role in the staging of the Asian Age Group Swimming Championships from Nov. 23 to Dec. 1, 2023 jointly organized by the Asian Swimming Federation and the POC at the BCDA-managed New Clark City Aquatic Center in Capas, Tarlac.
Omani ASF Secretary General Taha Al Kishry, a member of the powerful FINA Bureau, was in the country last month to launch the AASF-sanctioned competition and, based on Nowicki’s letter, met with Velasco last Nov. 22 to inform her of the development.
The PSI board claimed it was left in the dark regarding the complaints filed against it and questioned “with grave concern” the manner and conduct of the investigation made by FINA.
“Requirements of due process, fairness and equity demand that, at the very least, PSI, through the Board of Trustees, should have been informed of the nature and cause of complaint against it and be given the opportunity to respond to the charges lodged before FINA,” the PSI said.
Invoking the FINA charter, the board noted “that before any sanction is meted out, the member federation must begiven an opportunity to exercise the right to be heard (C.12.9).”
During the Nov. 22 dialog, the board said that “Al Kishry did not disclose the nature and specifics of the complaints, including the identity of the complainant/s, thereby giving Ms. Velasco no real opportunity to respond. It would have also been appropriate if written communication of such investigation was relayed to PSI for the BOT to be duly informed.
“We believe that the report presented to FINA was not an accurate picture of the true state of Philippine swimming,” the board stressed. “While PSI was not specifically informed of the incidents or circumstances allegedly proving ‘inter alia (among other things) poor governance principles,’ we respectfully believe that there is no truth to any of the allegations of said poor governance principles in managing the affairs of the organization.
“On the contrary, great progress is continuously being achieved by PSI for its membership as its members would attest,” the PSI said.
