Chavit wants shooting association probed

FORMER Philippine National Shooting Association president and chairman emeritus Luis “Chavit” Singson wants the PNSA investigated over the missing clay targets and the inclusion of “unqualified shooters” for the 19th Asian Games slated from September 23 to August 8 in Hangzhou, China.

In a press conference held at his residence in Corinthian Garden in Quezon City on Thursday, Singson asked the higher ups to probe the two aforementioned issues.

Former Philippine National Shooting Association president and chairman emeritus Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson wants PNSA probed for the missing clay targets and the inclusion of ‘unqualified shooters’ to the Asian Games. PHOTO BY NIEL VICTOR MASOY 

“Being the past president of the PNSA, we are worried over the fact that the current administration of the national sports association is sending unqualified athletes [to the Asian Games],” said Singson, a former national shooter himself.

“It’s a shame that we’re sending cellar-dwelling athletes. If POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) didn’t approve it, then who approved their inclusion? And how can we win if our targets and ammunition are missing. This should be investigated so that our country would not be embarrassed again.”

Singson and another former shooter Raul Arambulo cited the inclusion of Jake Ancheta to the Philippine team in the Asian Games. They said Ancheta “did not even finish in the recent World Cup Shotgun in Lonato, Italy.”

“We also have qualifiers and if you didn’t score at least 100, you’re not qualified,” Singson said.

Their intense level of disapproval on Ancheta is the same as their support for the 22-year-old Carlo Valdez, whom they said should be in the national team for the Asian Games instead.

Valdez emerged as winner in six out of the eight national qualifiers but the current PNSA administration, led by its current president Michael Dy, did not include him for the Asian Games.

Valdez also ranked seventh and ninth in the 10-meter Olympic air pistol and mixed team and individual events where he scored 575 out of 600 points, respectively.

Missing clay targets

Singson and Arambulo are also asking the continued help of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to investigate and locate the missing clay targets, which were reported missing in January this year.

The clay targets were missing at the PNSA shooting range at the Bureau of Corrections.

Two 20-foot containers that has 1,092 cases of clay targets which had been partially bought through the own pockets of shooting athletes are nowhere to be found.

“We are asking for the help [of] PSC chairman Richard Bachmann since you’ve already helped us before. Attorney (Guillermo) Iroy, a former executive director, initiated an investigation,” said Arambulo.

“There’s a report that came out which was released to us by commissioner Fritz Gaston. He released the report but there were no annexes so we can’t affirm what’s in the report because those annexes are missing.”