Barely a month since reports surfaced that peace was already achieved, a fresh war is brewing in the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Robert Bachmann, the older brother of PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann, formally stepped down as president of the Philippine Squash Academy (PSA) after finding out that two commissioners were delaying his financial request for his athletes, who are gearing up for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Bachmann was furious. He accused commissioners Matthew “Fritz” Gaston and Edward Hayco of not fulfilling their mandate of serving the athletes and the PSA — a federation that is in good standing and duly recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee.
With that, he stepped down from his position while threatening to file administrative charges against the PSC executives before the Office of the President.
But the dispute among Bachmann, Gaston and Hayco is more than just a mere catfight. It’s a serious struggle for power and influence in the government sports agency.
Gaston and the PSC chairman have been at odds. In fact, Gaston even went out of his way to report to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin the “questionable financial decision” made by the younger Bachmann during his term as PSC chief.
To make sure his complaint gained traction, one of his known allies, former PSC chairman Aparicio Mequi, posted the complaint on social media, sparking a controversial rift that rocked the agency to its very foundation.
But Gaston’s accusation didn’t gain traction, as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. still kept his trust and confidence in the PSC chairman, who displayed unwavering support for the national athletes during the country’s successful and historic campaign in the Paris Olympics last year.
Now, Gaston is at it again. This time, he is trying to bring down the older brother of the PSC chairman by using the Commission on Audit (CoA) Circular 2007-01 as a smoking gun, without considering that it will greatly delay the federation’s support and services for its athletes, who are busy preparing for what could be their debut in the Summer Games.
Gaston asserted that CoA Circular 2007-01 states that government officials couldn’t deal with national sports organizations that are headed by their relatives up to the fourth degree. In this case, there is a basis for the delay since Bachmann is the older brother of the PSC chief.
He added that he is merely implementing the law and that it has nothing to do with his personal dispute with the PSC chief.
Oh, come on!
First, Bachmann has been a national sports federation leader since 2016, six years before his younger brother was appointed as PSC chief in 2022. Prior to Gaston’s dispute with the PSC chief, all requests of his federation were granted, including the hiring of two-time Asian Games gold medalist Low Wee Wern of Malaysia as a foreign coach, ensuring that everything was done aboveboard.
Also, PSC sources claimed that Dickie inhibits himself whenever the PSC board of commissioners tackles the requests of his brother’s federation. While he doesn’t step out of the room, the fact that he does not participate in the deliberation means he is allowing his commissioners, like Gaston, Hayco, Walter Torres and Olivia “Bong” Coo, to freely decide whether to grant his brother’s requests or not.
The dispute in the PSC will never end if there are commissioners who undermine the leadership of the chairman. What makes this situation truly heartbreaking is the fact that, in the process of trying to get back at his bitter nemesis, the PSC chairman, even federation leaders and, to some extent, the athletes are getting affected, effectively disrupting their preparation for major tournaments ahead.
President Marcos has to put a stop to this madness. He must step in and revamp the PSC by giving its chairman a brand-new set of commissioners who are willing to cooperate, unite, and work with him for the benefit of the national athletes.
The country is coming off a victorious performance in the Summer Olympics. The Chief Executive should not allow this momentum to be destroyed by some ambitious and power-hungry sports executives who are out to create chaos within the government sports agency. He should do it not for the PSC but for the athletes, who deserve better services.
After all, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.