POC deals with problems
over 2 chartered flights

By Trina Ibarle-Orquiza

WITH two chartered flights leaving just 30 minutes apart on Dec. 6 for Laos, the Philippine Olympic Committee is trying to reconcile the flight details of athletes and officials making up the 386-man national delegation for the Laos Southeast Asian Games.

POC spokesman Joey Romasanta yesterday said the POC is figuring out who among the athletes will take the flight chartered by the Philippine Sports Commission leaving at 7 a.m. and the other flight chartered by the Olympic body leaving at 6:30 a.m.

"We are having a lot of meetings trying to reconcile the PSC and POC flight details. We’ll manage, though," Romasanta said.

The PSC and POC secured direct chartered flights with the same travel agency, Elite Travel Center, via Philippine Airlines to Vientianne, Laos, where the SEA Games will be held starting on Dec. 9.

The PSC is shouldering the trip of 153 athletes and 47 officials while the POC is funding the trip of the rest of the delegation.

Check-in counters at the Centennial Airport will be open as early as 2 a.m. to accommodate the athletes’ baggage and equipment.

Majority of the team members will leave via the Dec. 6 flights, with the water polo team having left for Laos yesterday via a commercial flight.

Aside from reconciling the flight details of the athletes and officials, the POC will also have to consider other details such as airport transfers, baggage check-in, and coordination at the airport gates.

"Hindi pwedeng pabayaan na lang sila (athletes). Sino ang sasalubong sa kanila doon? Paano sila magche-check-in? We have to solve these problems as well," said Romasanta.

Athletes and officials backed by the PSC will also have wear uniforms provided by Accel while POC-backed athletes and officials will have to wear apparel provided by China-based sportswear company 361 Degrees.

The POC will provide free transport to the airport from the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex’s Adriatico gate, where the buses will be stationed starting at 2 a.m.

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