PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee Deputy Secretary General and sepak takraw chief Karen Tanchanco-Caballero acknowledged last Sunday that she was paid by the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee for her services during the last 30th SEA Games in a possible violation of the International Olympic Committee charter.
“Notarized consultancy contract and paid withholding tax. May magnanakaw bang nagbabayad ng buwis?” Caballero replied to former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Dr. Perry Mequi, who posted a list allegedly of several POC officials on the PHISGOC payroll as of September 2018.
“My professional expertise in organizing sports event (sic) was the reason why I was hired by PHISGOC, there was no relation or whatsoever to my duties and obligations in SEPAKTAKRAW nor in POC,” she explained.
“If I was not employed and you (Mequi) were hired in my place, could you have done better?”
In the list, Caballero is designated as “PHISGOC vice director,” netting P72,805 a month.
“Do you think that amount is commensurate to the amount we allotted for this? Don’t you think we also spend for our food, transportation and miscellaneous expenses to make this work?” she added. “We did not earn from this but rather we made our share to make all the success of this event possible.”
The 30th SEA Games ended on Dec. 30, 2011.
Other POC officials on the list posted by Mequi included POC president Rep. Bambol Tolentino and Triathlon Association of the Philippines president Tom Carrasco, together with their alleged compensations.
