What it is
by rick olivares
What is it? Or what it is. Let’s get
this out of the way… I am a firm believer in a strong grassroots football
program that will give chances for our homegrown players to be world-class. I
also believe that match officials should be respected in and out of the locker
room. And I am unequivocally against sexual harassment and racism. I have
experienced the latter while working abroad and truly bristle at the mere
mention of it but this is not about me. It’s about this seemingly interminable
complaint of Ms. Cristina Ramos about being sexually harassed by a couple of
members of the Philippine Men’s Football National Team during a routine
inspection of the players inside their locker room prior to the recent friendly
match against Malaysia.
I grimaced when I heard of the
incident. Oh, no. I thought to myself. What happened? Is this for real?
When I read of her complaint that came
out in media, I once more grimaced. Why did this happen, I asked? Is this for
real?
One thing is for sure and that is we
do not know all the facts and whatever is out there is pretty much one-sided. Again
I do not condone sexual harassment or racism in any form but I do believe that
due process and protocol should be followed. Having worked with Ms. Ramos in
the local organizing committee for the past two home matches of the national
team, she was a joy to work with for her thoroughness, candor, and her energy.
She reiterated time and again to the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of which
I was a part of about adhering to the rules as well as following protocol and
processes. And in my opinion, there lies part of the problem.
Immediately after her inspection of
the Philippine national team, she seemed distressed and upset. She went to the
match commissioner’s room where some of the secretariat and the LOC members
were to inform them about “being disrespected”. She was advised to include in
her report her complaint. The following day, she met up with Philippine
Football Federation (PFF) president Mariano V. Araneta during the PFF-UFL
(United Football League) Fellowship Night to do the same.
Now what shocked everyone was why and
how she filed the report to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and not the
PFF. She said that the PFF office was closed the following day so she took it
to AFC.
For someone who says she is a stickler
for protocol she sure broke it right there. If her complaint is being blocked
and whitewashed locally, I can understand taking it to the press. But it is
not. The PFF hired her to serve as Match Commissioner not the AFC. And as per Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and AFC rules, Match Commissioners should not
talk to the media.
In the AFC Guidelines, Section C
Article 5 of Common provisions for Match Officials (page 16), it is written
that, “AFC Match Officials shall adopt a reserve attitude towards the media and
shall not pass comment on the referees and assistant referees or any of their
decisions. Neither may they make any forecasts about forthcoming decisions by
the Disciplinary Committee in connection with any incidents that have occurred
at the game.”
In the AFC’s Match Commissioners’
seminar last January 17-20 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it is written in the
Basic Principles (section B5 Communication), “Absolutely no interviews may be
granted while on assignment.”
Two days after the incident, she met
with the PFF’s Araneta and General Secretary Rolly Tulay about the incident and
it was there that she informed them that she had already informed the media
about her complaint. I know media officers are not supposed to talk about any
incidents for up to 48 hours after the end of their assignment and I don’t know
if that applies to Match Commissioners but nevertheless, this – again no one is
whitewashing anything – matter should have been resolved from
within. In that same meeting, she also asked if the PFF was willing, to be
assigned as Match Commissioner in the next home match so she could discipline
the team!
Her complaint also came out with the
players not in town and unable to defend themselves. If the players are found
guilty then I say that they should be punished in a manner that fits their
folly. Whatever the rulings and findings are, I would like to think that they
will be based on facts and whatever legalese you might want to thrown in. But
as it is, they were already tried by publicity.
Ms. Ramos has gone on the offensive in
media and social media about the issue. Now here are a few things that I have
to throw into the mix to gain further perspective on things.
On Friday, February 24, five days
before the match against Malaysia, a Pep Rally for the Azkals was held at the
SM Megamall. After the match, the LOC and the players trooped to the nearby
Kenny Rogers restaurant for dinner. During that dinner, Ms. Ramos blurted out
to the committee (the Azkals were seated nearby but I don’t think they heard
the diatribe), “What’s with this, ‘I’m from Chinatown, New York’ and ‘I’m from
Spain’. Why don’t they just say that they are Filipino?” She then asked the
team’s PR liaison officer Patrick Ace Bright if the team was put through
etiquette and public speaking courses.
I answered her, “What is wrong with
what they said?” Obviously, she was referring to Azkals midfielders Lexton Moy
and Angel Guirado.
I told her not to take this out of
context. During the fan session of the Pep Rally, LOC head Richard Joson asked
the players to introduce themselves. Azkals wingback Roel Gener led it off.
“I am Roel Gener and taga-Barotac
Nuevo, Iloilo ako.”
That was followed by Iranian-Filipino Misagh
Bahadoran who said that although he was born in the Philippines, he didn’t
speak English and Filipino well.
The third player to introduce himself
was Ed Sacapaño: “Ako si Eduard Sacapaño at taga-Bacolod, Negros ako.”
Moy, the fourth player to speak,
followed the pattern of introduction while Guirado was one of the last.
 |
| Take a gander at the order of the Azkals during the Pep Rally: Roel Gener, Misagh Bahadoran, Eduard Sacapaño, Lexton Moy, Aly Borromeo, Michael Weiss, Angel and Juani Guirado, and Jason Sabio. Not in the picture is Dennis Wolf. The Younghusband brothers arrived late and sat on the opposite ends. |
Now this might be a stand-alone
episode. Yet it also might not because she also decried the team’s
“Fil-foreigner flavor” to many of us in the LOC and anyone involved in local
football willing to listen. In fact, during
the post-Malaysia match press conference, she spoke with one of the press
officers about how the team should be represented by locals and not the
Fil-foreigners.
I cited how the German National
Football Team is beset with similar problems with the influx of players of
foreign descent like Mesut Ozil (who has Turkish roots), Sami Khedira (whose
father is Tunisian), Mario Gomez (whose father is Spanish), and Jerome Boateng
(whose father is Ghanaian and his brother Kevin Prince plays for the Black
Stars). They are not alone in that respect. France has featured a multi-racial
squad for years with some born domestically while others originating from
former colonies. Are they violating any rules? No they are not. It is
prescribed not just with FIFA but also with almost every other sports body in
the world. We are unlike other countries like Qatar that opt for naturalization
as opposed to utilizing citizens with dual citizenship.
How about Paulino Alcantara? He is
Spanish-Filipino and yet he played for both the Spanish and Philippine flags.
Isn’t that balimbing? But no. The rules of that time said it was possible.
Personally, I feel about him the way Argentineans feel about Lionel Messi (if
you don’t know what that is I recommend that you read up on that). But if they
say he is the greatest Filipino footballer ever, well…
Incredibly, sometime last year, Ms.
Ramos was raving to me about Eduardo Teus, a Filipino who played for Real
Madrid! She even took a picture of it and placed it on her Facebook account. I
have no idea if Teus’ mother was Filipina but he was born in the Philippines.
But former basketball star, Alex Compton, who was born in Makati City, is not
considered a Filipino and was refused play in the PBA until he was in the
twilight of his career.
 |
| Read the caption of the screen shot. |
When the national team arrives, Moy
and Guirado will be given 48 hours to file their reports about the incident.
The PFF, which has followed protocol on this situation, says that this has gone
on too long and they hope it can come to a resolution. Unfortunately, it
doesn’t look like this one is going to end any time soon.
Not when it was compounded by this
ugly “racist” comment that GMA7 host/anchor Arnold Clavio uttered during the
show, “Unang Hirit.”
Who is a true Filipino? History books
have shown us that the first the first occupants of the Philippines were the
Callao and Tabon men, the Negrito tribes, and those who left Borneo, China,
India, and other countries. Having been colonized and occupied by the Spanish,
Dutch, English, and Americans, ours is a mixed race. I find it funny that
Clavio thinks the “kayumanggi” race is who we are? Should the Aetas be insulted
by his comment?
Someone asked if Lexton Moy and Angel
Guirado were given a chance to suit up for the national teams of the United
States or Spain, would they play there? I think you go where you think it is
best for you. Just like many of our countrymen who opt to work abroad as
opposed to staying home. Where is it best for you? And why stop at football? Take
a look at pro basketball as well as our national teams for tennis, swimming,
and what else – they have many Filipinos of foreign lineage.
We are quick to embrace anyone with an
ounce of Filipino blood as Filipino. You saw that during American Idol. And we
see that in showbiz. How many are of foreign lineage? But when someone, say
like Matthew Hartmann or Anjanette Abayari does something wrong, we say, “Go
back to where you came from?” And we add, “Ah, kasi puti o Amerikano.” Where
did that come from?
The world is a much smaller place.
Made smaller by immigration, technology, and business. Look at the New York
Knicks’ wunderkind, Jeremy Lin. Will he crack the lineup of the US Men’s
National Basketball Team? For his position, point guard, the Americans are at
least four deep. So does he play for his parents’ country of origin, Taiwan?
I think we should be a little more broad-minded
when it comes to these matters. That and adhering to protocol rather than trial
by publicity. The last I checked, everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
