Vice President Sara Duterte is being urged by the parents of student athletes to investigate taekwondo tournament manager Harny Tabuada of the Palarong Panlalawigan.
In a letter dated March 27, addressed to Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, Secretary of the Department of Education, and chairperson of the Palarong Pambansa Secretariat, Steve Luigi Geocadin, one of the parents of the student athletes who are supposed to join the taekwondo event of the Palarong Pambansa, alleged that Tabuada abused his authority as tournament manager of taekwondo for Palarong Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental, and spread false information bearing misrepresentation that a certain Ma’am Marivic, allegedly a secretary-general of Palarong Pambansa Secretariat, instructed him to reduce the number of players in the secondary boys/girls kyorugi division from 10 to seven players, and elementary/secondary boys/girls poomsae division from three to two players each.
Geocadin, a staff member of Councilor Em Ang, said in the letter that there is a recorded video of Tabuada regarding his very bold claims and the said video will also be sent through email to the office of VP Duterte.
He urged VP Duterte and Asec Francis Cesar Bringas to investigate Tabuada and ban him and his known associate Marissa Candillada, in all future DepEd sanctioned tournaments, if all the allegations are proven true.
Geocadin said that the actions of Tabuada caused mental anguish to student athletes and emotional stress to their parents, when they found that Tabuada decided to reduce the number of players in the said taekwondo event of the Palarong Panlalawigan, as they were expecting to move on to higher meets after winning their respective events fair and square, through sheer dedication in training and hard work in their chosen sport.*
