The Mess In Philippine Bodybuilding Three Months Before The 23rd SEA Games 2005
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The Philippine Federation of Bodybuilders (PFBB) headed by Atty. Luciano Lim, President and Mr. Engracio Tiu, Vice President and Treasurer had recently dismissed Coach Antipas "Dong" Celorio, coach of the Philippine National Bodybuilding Team of more than two decades and then appointed Jun Macarol as coach of the team effective September 2005. They also had recently taken in Sammy Ayochok as Technical Director of the PFBB.
The reason given by the president for Coach Celorio's dismissal was that Coach Celorio was old already. The decision was a bombshell to the athletes because Coach "Dong" Celorio was the most experienced coach in the land that the athletes listened to and followed. The athletes found no reason why their very healthy athletic smart and alert coach should be removed from his rightful seat. It didn't take long for Atty. Lim to hushly inform the athletes that the moment had come for him to take revenge on the coach. Coach Celorio, on the other hand could not think of anything that he did to the president that could have caused the president to retaliate like that.
As for the athletes, three months before the 23rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), a big Asian sports event next to the Asian Games to be held from November 27th to December 5th was not the proper time to replace their existing coach with a previous national athlete who was suspended from the team due to being found positive in the use of the sports' prohibited drugs. And what's worse was that the federation had taken in as Technical Director of the PFBB, a lifetime IFBB banned athlete who is currently the Chairman of the Philippine National Bodybuilding Association, also known as NABBA, an association not affiliated to the International Federation of Bodybuilders, Inc. (IFBB). The SEA Games men's bodybuilding competition is affiliated to the IFBB. And as a rule, any person involved in any way with the NABBA are not allowed to participate or get involved in any function of the IFBB events. The new Technical Director of the PFBB was banned from the IFBB functions due to the fact that his dope testing results when he competed in several IFBB competitions were all positive.
It may be possible that in the near future, Philippine Bodybuilding may face the same problems it had experienced in the past having these two new officials in their PFBB line-up who may give tips to the team members on how to use the sports' prohibited drugs or even more, may advise or further instruct the team members to actually take these drugs. In the past, there was a number of Philippine bodybuilding athletes who were found positive in dope tests aside from these two (Jun Macarol and Sammy Ayochok) that lead the Philippines to be drowned in debt to the IFBB Asia and Asian Bodybuilding Federation (ABBF) due to incompliance to pay the fine of US$500 per positive result found in dope tests plus annual membership fees. This was because the PFBB could not simply afford to pay such large sum of money. And the PFBB will never be able to pay such large amount in the future too because PFBB is a non-profit organization. PFBB was only able to entirely wash off its hands from its past outstanding debt because of the entire change of federation name and officials that the IFBB Asia and the ABBF had approved.
Politics always never leave any entity. Corina Mojica, a publicist of the Philippine Star who is in her sixties takes very good care of young Angelito Llora who is in his twenties and is a member of the Philippine National Bodybuilding Team. Ms. Mojica took great part in Mr. Llora's ambition to become coach of the Philippine National Bodybuilding Team. In this connection, she further took great part in the PFBB's president's decision to remove Coach Celorio from his seat as coach of the national team.
The Philippine National Bodybuilding Team's so-called, "Godfather", Mr. Ernest Escaler is the team's major sponsor for the 23rd SEA Games' bodybuilding championships wherein their own country will be the host country of the event. He housed and provided food to these SEA Games' participating team members including the national coach. He further supplied bodybuilding vitamins, supplements and allowances to this group. The team members did receive stipend from the Philippine Sports Commission according to their classification. Alfredo Trazona has been receiving Php7,000 per month because he is a Class B athelte. Class B athletes are those athletes who were able to win silver medal or bronze medal in any major international meet. And all the rest have been receiving Php5,000 per month because they are all Class C athletes. Class C atheletes are those athletes who were champions in any major national meet in the Philippines. But these stipends are not enough to feed quality bodybuilders therefore the athletes still needed major sponsors. A quality bodybuilder needs an average amount of about Php1,000 a day worth of food, vitamins and supplements depending on the weight of the athlete.
Mr. Escaler was gravely disappointed by Ms. Mojica's made-up report that the team members were just sleeping all the time, were always complaining about the food and were not keeping their quarters tidy all of which were not true. Mr. Escaler believed Ms. Mojica's stories to the point that he told everyone to leave his house just to later call them all back in again. By that time, one member, Michael Borenaga had already been tied up with another set of sponsors because he had signed a contract with them therefore he could not return to Mr. Escarler's home anymore.
In this connection, Mr. Borenaga is currently one member that Sammy Ayochok plans to remove from the line-up because he does not stay in the residence designated for the team and does not work out in Super Sharp Gym in Tambo, Paranaque wherein gym owner Mr. Jimmy Lim had allowed all Philippine National Athletes to use as official national bodybuilding team's training ground. Another reason why Mr. Ayochok plans to remove Mr. Borenaga from the team is because of Mr. Borenaga's absence in the team's compulsory meeting held last September 7, 2005. He was not able to attend this meeting because he was on duty at his work. Mr. Borenaga trains at Foxx Gym in Santa Cruz, Manila as had been agreed upon between his sponsors and him in their signed contract. He works as gym instructor in this gym and in addition to this, he personal trains several clients in other gyms.
Angelito Llora, though a member of the National Bodybuilding Team, was not included in the line-up of competitors for the SEA Games Bodybuilding Championships because his weight division was not included in the schedule of events. He then was assigned to be 'house manager' of the team. He designed the team's diet but unfortunately, his diet program just made the team members sick. When their godfather found this out, Mr. Llora was told to leave Mr. Escaler's home therefore removing Mr. Llora from his allotted budget for the National Team for the 23rd SEA Games.
One by one every now and then, a member of the Philippine National Bodybuilding Team is being removed from the 23rd SEA Games' Bodybuilding Championships' line-up by these new officials. Currently, the team's line-up is as follows: Michael Borenaga - Flyweight; Fernando Faroden - Bantam; Alfredo Trazona - Welterweight and Jesus L. Duga - Lightmiddleweight. There were originally seven members in the line-up. And currently, there are four members left. And maybe, soon, there will be only three members left because Mr. Borenaga may be next to be removed. Before long, there will be no one left to compete in the 23rd SEA Games' Bodybuilding Championships come December 2-5, 2005. Meanwhile, while all of these are happening, Atty. Lucianno Lim, President of the PFBB and Mr. Engracio Tiu, Vice President and Treasurer of the PFBB are both busy in their sole-owned business enterprises.
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Posted by rpbblatestnews
at 5:31 PM JST
Updated: Saturday, 17 September 2005 8:39 AM JST
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