Perlas five fate up to Task Force

The participation of the women’s cage team known as Perlas Pilipinas in the 27th Southeast Asian Games is now in the hands of the Philippine SEAG Task Force committee.

Chef de mission Jeff Tamayo yesterday said the Task Force, which he heads together with Philippine Olympic Committee, will decide as soon as Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia arrives from Monaco early next week.

“If you ask me, I will let the team play,” said Tamayo. “But there are other members of the Task Force who don’t agree. We’ll wait for the chair (Garcia) before we decide,” added the POC second vice president and soft tennis chief.

Perlas Pilipinas, second in 2011 in Indonesia, failed to advance to Level I of the Fiba Asia Championship after losing to SEAG opponents Malaysia and Indonesia. Winding up with a 3-2 record, the Philippines placed joint third with Indonesia in Level II of the Asian Championship held in Bangkok.

The target imposed by the Task Force was to at least win over SEAG rivals Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia for a trouble-free inclusion in the national delegation to the Burma (Myanmar) games on Dec. 11-22.

Garcia, who left on Monday to attend the Peace and Sport International Forum 2013 in Monte Carlo, and POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. have the final say on the inclusion of athletes in the SEA Games based on the lineup submitted by the Task Force.

The 12-player women’s team is on probationary status along with seven athletes from wushu, three from judo and one from shooting.