INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose ?Peping? Cojuangco broached the possibility of tapping local government units to support athletes seeing action in the Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

?If things get worse, (funding from government), we can identify all the athletes who are going to Laos as to which province they come from,? Cojuangco said at the PSA Forum at Shakey?s UN Avenue in Manila. ?Then the LGUs can probably help these athletes.?

Pangasinan Gov. Armando Espino and Dagupan Mayor Al Fernandez have expressed desire to support their own athletes in the national pool.

Cojuangco said the POC cannot make budgetary constraints a reason not to perform well in the SEA Games in December.

?It?s up to us to solve our situation,? added Cojuangco, who was joined at the forum sponsored by Shakey?s, Pagcor, Accel and Outlast Battery by daughter and 2002 Busan Asian Games gold medalist Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Mark Joseph of swimming, Julian Camacho of wushu, Leonora Brawner and Terry Lim of archery, Marcus Valda of wrestling, and Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante and Gandy Valle of billiards.

But Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping, in a separate interview, assured the sports agency?s support to the country?s SEA Games campaign.

?It?s not true that I am not supporting national athletes,? said Angping, who has been at odds with the POC executive board that had asked President Macapagal Arroyo to fire him in March. ?The money is available but there is no list for the national pool yet.?