JAKARTA—The Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to the Indonesian capital went “bumpy” because of turbulence. But for the shooting team, the ordeal wasn’t over even after they have landed close to midnight on Friday.
Trap shooter Hagen Topacio had to surrender P15,000 worth of ammo he bought at home because they were not reflected on the manifesto that shooters could carry bullets for their competition in Palembang.
“I was informed earlier by organizers that there would be no ammunition for sale at the shooting range so I took the precaution of bringing my own,” said Topacio, who also saw action in the 2010 Guangzhou and 2014 Incheon Asiad Games.
Topacio, whose family is in the arms business back home, shrugged off the expense and said he would just buy bullets at the shooting range after learning they are available there.
Hitches in organization reared their ugly head for the other members of the small Philippine delegation who had to transfer planes from here to Palembang.
Arriving near midnight in the Indonesian capital, the Filipino bets were shuttled to the domestic terminal and had to cool their heels for another six hours, most of them hardly getting a wink at the stuffy Asian Games lounge.
The distance to the entrance to the luggage counter inside the terminal is close to a kilometer, double that for the gate to the connecting flight to Palembang.
The lot of the five-man tennis squad, led by Coach Chris Cuarto, was just as trying after learning that all of them did not have the proper credentials, which would have barred them from entering the Athletes’ Village inside the Jakabaring Sports Complex.
“Dati patawa-tawa lang ako, pero medyo nakakainis na [Before I could just smile at this but now I’m exasperated],” said the usually unflappable Cuarto.
Making matters worse, Cuarto together with Alberto Lim Jr., Jeson Patrombon, Francis Casey Alcantara and Marian Jade Capadocia had to take an hour’s train ride to the Games Village, entering their quarters with “Guest Passes.”
“Their formal ID’s are now being processed,” said Philippine Secretariat staff Liza Ner while looking on at the tired and haggard athletes.
“This was [quite] a challenge but you can’t allow these circumstances to become toxic in your head,” noted Dr. Charles Corpus, the chief of the medical team here, with a wry smile.
Let the succeeding Palembang-bound Asian Games participants be forewarned: the trip is definitely not for the faint of heart.