In the interest of full disclosure: Raya is a sports events management organization of which I am Managing Director. It had successfully mounted the 2006 and 2007 World Pool Championships in the Philippines in partnership with Matchroom Sport of UK and ESPN-Star Sports. It had likewise mounted the country’s first ever National Pool Championship in 2006 and the National Pool Championship for both men and women pool players in 2007. Starting this year, Raya has secured for the Philippines its own World Pool franchise from the World Pool-Billiards Association (WPA): the World Ten Ball Championship. But that’s another story. I write on this topic not to promote Raya, but to illustrate how an insanely funny situation experienced first hand has the most serious repercussions in the country’s sports development.

TALK about the power of media. In one brief article, no more than 236 words, the Philippine Daily Inquirer had succeeded in projecting the Chairman of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) as the biggest backside in the Philippines.

Kawawa naman.

Flashback: The Inquirer reported in its sports section Wednesday, 14 May, that GAB chair Eric Buhain was going to order Raya Sports to cease and desist should it continue what it’s doing without getting a license from his agency. This was in anticipation for the coming Puerto Princesa leg of the Philippine Pool Tour (PPT) organized by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) and the respective local government unit (LGU), in this case the office of Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

Buhain was apparently smarting from the recently concluded opening leg of the PPT – The Mandaluyong Mayor’s Cup – which the BSCP organized with Mayor Ben-hur Abalos. The BSCP has consistently refused to get any GAB license for the simple reason that the BSCP and its events are not under GAB jurisdiction, being billiard sport’s National Sports Association (NSA). They have argued that if ever they are under any jurisdiction it would be under the Philippine Olympic Committee and under the supervision of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Should BSCP give in to GAB, then what of the NSAs of other sports like wushu, track and field, volleyball, lawn bowls and the like? These are just among the questions the BSCP has raised to the Senate. The legislature has resolved to investigate the matter and define GAB’s role or even relevance in the era of open sports.

So to avoid any snags to its project the Mandaluyong Mayor got the GAB permit, without prejudice, of course, to what will be settled with the legislature.

Buhain then appeared before the Philippine Sportswriters’ Association forum Tuesday and lashed back at BSCP. But in a surprising twist the Inquirer – and only the Inquirer – reported the next day that the GAB chair was training his guns at Raya Sports.

Balanced news…

THE Inquirer story said that “Raya Sports refused to get the necessary license” from Buhain’s agency and that it was “defying the law” by doing so.

In behalf of Raya I issued a letter to the Inquirer editor in chief when the report was published, basically saying: “With respect to the Mandaluyong Cup, the role of Raya Sports was mainly to provide support services in event management. This does not make us the promoter, otherwise, following your reporter’s logic, all the companies who supplied trussing, lighting fixtures, tarpaulin banners, TV production and even janitorial services in the recent Cup all would have had to secure GAB permits.”

This was quoted in the follow up story the next day, to which the Inquirer further sought Buhain’s reaction and reported that Buhain “maintained that running the technical aspect of a money event in sports doesn’t exempt a party from the jurisdiction of the government regulatory agency.”

The Inquirer report further quoted Buhain: “Look at the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) Even the ball boys and masseurs get their licenses from GAB…It’s that simple.”

Oh dear. Mang Hermie! Paki baba muna yung brush na panlinis mo nung mesa. Pati yung Pledge at basahan. Baka damputin ka ng GAB, wala kang lisensya, boy!

Well, in all fairness, I could get the license for poor Mang Hermie so that he can continue working. That’s P800 good for one year, as the Inquirer reported Buhain said. All I have to do is divert our budget, from Hermie and his crew’s Tasty loaf bread and Chizwhiz merienda to their GAB licenses.

Prrrrt…. Lisensya!

LET’S say I didn’t renew my driver’s license, I can’t and shouldn’t take out the car for a drive, right? That would be breaking the law.

But if I merely possessed an expired driver’s license, did I break the law?

If I purposely and willfully let my driver’s license expire, did I break the law?

If I let it remain expired and just stayed home and didn’t drive, did I break the law?

If I let my driver do the driving and I went out for a ride, did I break the law for having an expired license?

If I came out to the garage and washed and waxed the car, popped the hood and checked the oil and water levels and even vacuumed the car’s carpet, all with my expired driver’s license, did I break the law?

If I got into the driver’s seat, started the car and let it idle in my garage while having an expired license, did I break the law?

It is in the light of these questions that I view the conclusion of the Inquirer’s latest sports story with skepticism. Quoting my statement that “Raya is a licensed promoter and has secured permits from GAB for its events,” the Inquirer balances its act by counter-quoting Buhain with “Not yet as of today… He was probably talking about last year. But that permit expired after Dec. 31, 2007. That’s why I’m asking them to get (a license.)”

Get a GAB license, we probably will, if and when we do decide to drive. In the meantime, the BSCP and the LGU are driving the Philippine Pool Tour. Raya’s just here to do the washing and waxing.