By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) President Rene Gacuma said he is considering consulting legal counsel and possibly filing charges against PFA Director and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Vice President Richard Gomez over alleged physical and verbal abuse during the fencing competition at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
In a letter addressed to Raul Canlas, the Philippine delegation’s chef de mission to the SEAG, Gacuma said the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 16, at Fashion Island, the competition venue, where Gomez allegedly confronted him over the replacement of national athlete Alexa Larrazabal in the individual women’s epee event.
The alleged confrontation was reportedly caught on CCTV footage.
“Atty. Mike Abundo, Mr. Chips Dayrit and myself went down from our seats in the gallery to present ourselves with the intention of also congratulating his recent silver medal achievement in the shooting event,” wrote Gacuma, referring to Gomez.
“When I extended my right hand to congratulate Mr. Gomez, he planted his right foot on my left foot, squeezed my right thumb very hard and said ‘Who gave you the authority to replace that athlete? Na-take up ninyo ito sa Board Meeting in my presence?! P*tang *na mo Rene, g*go ka!” Gacuma recounted.
Gacuma added as he managed to release his left foot that he was stepping on and as he turned his back on him to leave, Gomez reached out “to strike the back of my head (nape are) with what I felt was a hard closed-fist right hook.”
Gacuma also alleged that Gomez confronted him again after he was taken to the medical station, where he was being treated for elevated blood pressure following the earlier incident.
“While seated at the medical station and in the presence of the Thai medical volunteers, he literally capped my jawline forcefully with his right hand and said, ‘Di mo alam ang ginagawa mo!… Wala ka alam sa pagiging atleta! Sisipain kita diyan! Alam ko saan ka nakatira!” Gacuma wrote.
Gacuma said the decision to replace Larrazabal with Hannie Abella was reviewed and validated by other PFA directors and was unanimously approved on the evening of Dec. 14. He added that updated competition rules and guidelines, including the submission of athlete replacements for confirmation, were discussed during the mandatory team managers’ meeting on Dec. 15, during which Larrazabal’s replacement was submitted, presented to the body, and later approved without opposition.
“There were other countries which also submitted replacements and were approved,” Gacuma said.
Gacuma further explained that the decision to replace Larrazabal was based on the recommendation of the national fencing coaching staff, led by Rolando ‘Amat’ Canlas, citing alleged unauthorized and frequent absences from national training without proper notice over the past three months, failure to submit required visa and travel documents within prescribed timelines for international competitions, and unresponsiveness to repeated reminders from the national coaching staff and fellow teammates regarding her whereabouts.
“The reasons cited were reviewed and validated by the other PFA Directors,” Gacuma said, referring to Leah Gonzalez (Secretary General-Treasurer), Atty. Michael Abundo (Chairman), and Carlos Angelp ‘Chips’ Dayrit (Director).
Meanwhile, Gacuma called for an urgent investigation into the incident.
“Mr. Richard I. Gomez’s actions are unbecoming of a public official,” he said.
Gomez has yet to issue a statement or comment on the incident.
