Monico’s truth bombs

They say that Monico Puentevella is over the hill.

At 80, he loves to talk about himself — his glorious past as a singer and television personality, his achievements as commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, his foray into local and national politics, and, of course, his visionary leadership of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) that gave the country its first gold medal in the Olympic Games.

While his friends love his outspoken personality, critics misconstrue it as being bitter and grumpy.

Last Thursday, at the Senate hearing on the issues surrounding the country’s participation in the 20th Asian Games, Puentevella was on the warpath. He took the floor, put on his devil-may-care attitude, and dropped truth bombs about what is really wrong with Philippine sports.

He didn’t just open the lid — he forcefully tore it apart to unmask the personalities who are making life difficult for Filipino athletes.

With Senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Pia Cayetano and Juan Miguel Zubiri as his audience and the local sports community watching, Puentevella boldly accused the Philippine Olympic Committee of meddling in the affairs of national sports associations (NSAs), leaving POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and his minions sweating in their seats.

Puentevella’s rant was valid. During the Paris Olympics, the POC overruled Puentevella as it granted accreditation to a national coach who had been banned by the SWP following an alleged assault on a weightlifter. The result was a massive disaster as Vanessa Sarno performed miserably.

Later, Sarno admitted her subpar performance stemmed from the “toxic environment” plaguing Philippine sports. Now, Sarno is serving a two-year ban for “whereabouts failures,” a violation related to a missed location report during a doping test. The career of the once-promising lifter has completely vanished.

Puentevella also slammed Ramon “Tats” Suzara, the controversial volleyball official who is being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation for his major role in the country’s reportedly anomalous hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019.

The seasoned sports leader accused Suzara of meddling in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) despite having been ousted as president in November last year. Suzara is reportedly still trying to assert influence over the PNVF to the extent of using the athletes to discredit the new president, businessman Frank Lao.

Also, with the suspension of the PNVF by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) due to alleged serious governance issues and violations of its code of ethics, the allowances of Bryan Bagunas and other members of the Alas Pilipinas Men have been delayed.

So who holds massive sway over the FIVB? You guessed it — Suzara, the FIVB executive vice president and president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation.

You see, it took an octogenarian with nothing left to prove to stare lawmakers in the eye and say what everyone in the local sports community already knew: the greatest threat to a Filipino athlete isn’t a Chinese powerhouse, a Japanese champion, or a Korean tactician — it is the local sports politicians.

The timing of Puentevella’s truth bombs could not be more critical. As our athletes catch their breath from a historic Asian Games campaign and set their sights on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, they cannot afford to march forward with a house divided. Medals are won on the mats, rings, and tracks, but they are lost in backroom boardrooms choked by self-interest and administrative friction.

If there is any redeeming grace to come out of the Senate inquiry, it is that the rot has been dragged into the sunlight. The problem that has been quietly simmering underneath finally blew out in the open.

But exposure alone is not enough. Puentevella’s blunt-force wake-up call must serve as a turning point for the POC, the Philippine Sports Commission, and all the NSAs to get their act together while we are enjoying the brilliance of Carlos Yulo, Ernest John Obiena, Alex Eala, and this golden generation of Filipino athletes.

Our athletes are generational talents capable of conquering the world. They deserve an administrative machinery that matches their sacrifices — not one that operates as an obstacle course of ego and politics.

Puentevella’s explosive appearance at the Senate should serve as a turning point. It proved that reform will never come from diplomatic handshakes behind closed doors; it requires self-realization that politics has no place in sports. You cannot be a sports leader if all you’re thinking about is how to deodorize your public image.

It is both a tragedy and a blessing that it took an 80-year-old sports veteran to remind us that until we get rid of politics in sports, our greatest enemy will never wear a foreign jersey — it is the one wearing a barong, taking pictures with our athletes when they achieve international glory.