INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Despite the raging feud between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, PSC chair Harry Angping has assured that the national athletes won't be caught in the crossfire.

Angping said the training of the athletes for the Southeast Asian Games in Laos at the end of the year should not be compromised in any way by the conflict sparked anew by the Olympic body.

?We will shield the athletes so that their performance in the SEA Games will not be affected,'' said Angping, who declined to make a projection on the country's gold-medal chances in the biennial meet slated Dec. 9-18.

In contrast, POC president Jose ?Peping?' Cojuangco Jr. said Team Philippines could win 30 golds at the most due to the ongoing squabble between the POC and the government sports agency.

Cojuangco's forecast was a far cry from the 100 gold medals he predicted for the national team three months ago at a time when Angping had been warming up his seat as PSC head.

?I would rather focus on the task of running the PSC efficiently and helping the athletes than dwell on the present situation with the POC,'' said Angping.

The POC ignited the altercation after coming out with a paid advertisement in two broadsheets calling for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to drive Angping out of the PSC. It was the second time that the POC had called for Angping's ouster in four months.

This time, the rift started when Angping questioned the proposed budget of the POC on the projected expenses of the RP delegation in the ongoing 1st Asian Youth Games in Singapore, a tournament reserved for athletes 17 years old and below.

In the proposed budget, the POC, through RP chef de mission Cesar Hawthorne Binag, requested a financial assistance of P7.4 million, which will cover the airfare, accommodation and allowances of 70 athletes and 30 officials in the June 29 to July 7 meet.

The PSC disagreed and instead coughed up P4 million, prompting the POC to reduce the number of athletes and officials by almost half.

Angping also got Cojuangco's ire when the PSC chief refused to shoulder the expenses of two physicians hired by the POC for the national team in the AYG.

Angping said the POC should have spent for the trip of its medical team instead of running two costly advertisements in the newspaper.