| 28 July 2010
(Below are comments on the article, "Transparency and Accountability". PJI's replies are in blue. Please read on.)
Date of addition: 2010-07-26 17:57
Comment author: basketball player
Comment text: To be honest, throughout the league, I did not see one PJI representative at any of the sunday games. There was no presence apart from the basketball uniforms? How do you expect to promote your causes if you are not getting in front of your audience?
One final thing I want to mention... I do think that you were over promised by the kampi west organisers. Throughout my whole basketball playing life, thats what they are good at... overpromising and under delivering...
Dear Basketball Player,
Thank you for your much awaited straight from the heart comments. Please allow me to reply to them.
As far as I know, Jun Buena, PJI’s pro temp Vice-Chairman was always present at all the Sunday games and he also displayed our banner in the basketball court. I was there twice _ at the beginning of the tournament and at the championship matches. I travelled nearly an hour and a half from Frimley, Surrey and another member took two hours by bus from Richmond to support the PJI team in its championship quest only to find out there were only four players from our team!
Besides the long travel to Northolt, you must realise that not everyone understands, let alone, enjoys the game. As working mothers, we have many weekend chores and campaigning to do.
As to your second comment, most PJI officers have very little knowledge or contact with the KAMPI WEST organisers. All we knew was that there were many potential members/ supporters to PJI from the players. So as far as “overpromising and under delivering” is concerned, I cannot say anymore. They are your words, not PJI’s.
Content item title: Transparency & Accountability
Content item link: http://www.philippinejury.com/home/articles/view-articles/48-transparency-a-accountability
Date of addition: 2010-07-26 17:57
Comment author: basketball player
Author E-mail:
Comment text: Thirdly, the event was organised on the same day as England were due to play USA in the FIFA world cup. The champions of kampi west were made up of young british filipinos. The football world cup as you know happens only every 4 years and is a high profile tournament and all people living in England would agree, England + World Cup = everyone comes together to watch the game. The game started at 7:30pm and ended just before 10pm. To hold the awards night on the same night was to me, one of the biggest mistakes!
Finally, PJI should not blame the filipinos in general especially the basketball players. There was no boycott of the awards night, it was just poor organisation from the organisers. Simple as... Basketball players these days, just want to play basketball. They dont want to get caught up with the politics and the sponsorship drama that happens in the background.
Dear Basketball Player,
As to your third comment, PJI was poorly advised and I, as chairman, must admit that. It could have been cancelled had I known of the conflicts. However, one has to rely on advice from more knowledgeable officers.
You have raised four good issues here, namely:
- Not to blame the Filipinos, in general and the basketball players, in particular;
- There was no boycott of the awards night;
- The basketball players do not want to be caught up politics and the sponsorship drama in the background; and
- Basketball players these days just want to play basketball.
Firstly, you have probably noticed that SOME Filipinos no matter how long they have lived in the UK have not learned common courtesies like arriving on time for gatherings and not the “Filipino time” that we are known for. We are also known for not turning up without prior notice or apologies. We just assume that everything will be forgiven and forgotten. ARE THESE TRAITS WE WANT TO KEEP AND FOSTER AS FILIPINOS? CAN WE NOT AT LEAST LEARN SIMPLE “DELICADESA”? You would think that after lengthy association with the British people, some of their good qualities might have rubbed off on us, Filipinos!
Secondly, we have been living in a democratic country and we know we have the right to object to something that is unlawfully imposed on us. Could you or another player have pointed out to the organisers of KAMPI WEST your displeasure about the Awards Night celebration? Why did you lead us on until the night of the event? Are the KAMPI WEST organisers not just incompetent but are also dictators? This is hard to believe!
Thirdly, there are Filipino associations in UK that organise/sponsor events to raise fund for deserving Filipino students so that they can have a better life through education. Some raise funds for victims of natural calamities. These, you would say are non-political and quite rightly so.
Was it a political act, when in 1986, the Filipinos put their lives at risk through the “People Power Revolution” to topple a dictatorial government and to regain democracy back?
Is it politics to offer a solution to the ever deepening corruption and lawlessness in our country? The JURY SYSTEM advocated by PJI works and has worked in progressive, democratic countries like UK, USA, Australia and many more. Why should we deny our people the choice between keeping the present corrupt system or changing it to another system that is tried and tested?
PJI does not support a political party or candidate. This would get us embroiled in politics. Besides, no politicians or political leaders would support a JURY SYSTEM advocacy since the system will diminish their power and income.
Lastly, in an article in this website entitled, “An Essay about the Philippines” written by a South Korean, he claims that our problem is not corruption; it is the lack of love for our country. Please read it and the response to it. It might convince you and your fellow players that there is more to life than just playing basketball. I’m sure that deep in your hearts, you want a better Philippines for this generation and the generations to come.
Content item title: Transparency & Accountability
Content item link: http://www.philippinejury.com/home/articles/view-articles/48-transparency-a-accountability
Date of addition: 2010-07-26 17:55
Comment author: basketball player
Author E-mail:
Comment text: Interesting comments regarding the linkage between kampi west and PJI and the blame that filipinos in general have been given. I dont think it is correct to blame the basketball teams and players for not turning up to the awards night. Let me try to explain from the side of a basketball player... First of all, the league charges £500 per team to enter the league. In the past they give the awards on the final day (after the finals game) rather than have a separate awards night 2 months after the league has finished. Also, when the league started, there was no mention of any awards night.
Then secondly, you have to look at the organisers of this league. There was very poor communication about this awards party, very poor promotion of it during the games and also why charge £12 per player after we've just paid £500 per team to enter the leage. So you champion team have to pay £12 to collect their trophy?
Dear Basketball Player,
This comment puts the blame on the failure of the event entirely on the KAMPI WEST organisers. Maybe so, but let me break your arguments down into smaller issues.
- I have answered the first issue about blaming the Filipinos. But please note that I said “SOME” Filipinos.
- The league charges £500 per team to enter the league. This should cover for the hire of the court, pay for the coaches and referees and other incidentals. I would suppose that since previously, awards were given just after the matches, there was no fanfare or anything that would signify celebration to honour the best teams and players; just photo shoots.
If this was the case, then one would have expected many followers of the competing teams to have stayed on for the awarding of trophies. I was there, so I know that there were just a handful of followers cheering on. Many have gone.
- Could they have gone because they knew that the Awarding of Trophies was organised for another day to make it grand? Do the players not want to be recognised for their prowess in a basketball court? Should KAMPI WEST organisers be blamed for wanting to honour their players? They may have their faults, but their intentions were good.
- If the event was poorly promoted, how come the spectators knew, but players did not?
- I do not think that the £500 included a celebration because it was not done before. Besides, think of the chain reaction it had caused. If one team goes in free, then the rest would also want to get in free because all teams paid £500! Moreover, why was this issue not raised before? As you have said, there was a two-month break between the championship games and the Awards Night.
- In the two-month break, did the champions, runners-up and best individual players not wonder where the trophies had gone to?
The officers of PJI had tried hard to make sense of what transpired. Of course we also had faults for relying on information passed on to us. This will be changed.
As for KAMPI WEST, they now know what people think about them.
As for the players, there are important issues you have to consider, like:
- Is there life after basketball?
- Should you not also concern yourselves about the life of our Kababayans exploited by our corrupt leaders? Can you not share some of your good fortune with them not by just contributing a penny here or there, but also work for a better a Philippines and Filipinos?
- Your reputation is at stake here. Why not salvage it by joining us in our fight for a better Philippines and Filipinos?
Shall we hear from you again?
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! It is the only one we've got.
Daisyabh