The president of the Philippine Canoe, Kayak, and Dragonboat Federation said Friday that transporting the dragonboat athletes via truck wasn’t noteworthy, as the Federation has been using the same trucks to ferry the athletes during their practice events in other provinces.
Federation President Len Escollante held a brief press conference in the City Information Office on October 18, responding to the viral photos on social media of the Philippine national dragonboat team crowded into a truck.
Locals took to Facebook to criticize the city government for allegedly putting national athletes into garbage trucks, a misunderstanding that led to viral post sharing, which confused Escollante, as the trucks were normal trucks owned by the federation.
These trucks, she explained, were normally used by the federation for previous events, as the athletes were all involved in watersports, and it would not be practical to put them in air-conditioned buses.
Escollante said that she appreciated the netizen’s concern for the athletes, but stated that it was unfounded in this case, as the athletes were not funded by the city government, nor were they transported across long distances, nor were they standing in an unsanitary dump truck.
“Naiintindihan naman natin na hindi kayo sanay na makikita n’yo yung mga atleta, everywhere yan eh. Maliksi ang mga iyan, sana po ang gagawin natin ay i-boost ang mga atleta. Hindi namin dinadala federation lang namin, hindi rin Puerto Princesa lang, kundi Pilipinas, kaya dapat ay isuporta natin ang mga national athletes natin,” she said.
She pointed out that they have been using the trucks in Puerto Princesa since September 26 this year, initially to transport generators from Leyte needed for the athletes’ accommodations due to Palawan’s power outages, and subsequently to bring the athletes to and from their accommodation to their practice area.
Escollante expressed surprise that the locals have only reacted to the pictures now when the athletes have been using the truck since the start of their preparations last month. She also noted that other provinces did not find it noteworthy.
Social media reactions were still skeptical, claiming that the trucks were unsafe.
“Safety first for the athletes. Sometimes injuries can happen even just climbing into that high truck. Use your budget properly and don’t pocket it,” one comment said on a Palawan News post on Facebook.
“Kailangan pala dump truck na may malutong na amoy ng basura ang warm-up ng mga atleta,” another stated.
More comments also found Escollante’s responses insufficient, questioning why the transportation was necessary for the athletes to warm up for their exercises.
“Normal na sumakay ng truck? Anung klasing warm-up Ang pwedi Gawin sa pag sakay ng truck pag akyat baba sa truck? (sic),” one of the money critics added.
Escollante said that the conditions were normal, as their training was suitable for those competing in an international sporting event.
“Kung pasasakayin ko sila ng pedicab… patakbuhin ko sila araw-araw magte-trending din ba? National athletes sila, ito ay preparation for a world championship. Bakit ko sila bebebehin, eh hindi kami pupunta ng beauty pageant na kailangan may cover, na kailangan disente sila? Atleta kami, para kaming militar. Nevertheless, most of our athletes are military,” Escollante said.
The Federation still prepared to provide the Philippine athletes with comforts that did not hinder their training. As such, they were accommodated close to the bay.
While the boys’ quarters were a few kilometers away from the bay, Escollante said that the distance was necessary as the athletes took the jogging time to warm up to get to the area.
She also said that for more intense training sessions, they would instead drive the athletes to the bay where they would do their warm-up exercises, so that they would not waste energy on the way there.
