A National Athlete for the Philippines' Facebook has gone viral after being illegally dropped from representing the Philippines for standing up to corruption.
Philippines' National Athlete and top-ranked Karate (Kata) practitioner and 2017 SEA Games bronze medalist Orencio James (OJ) de los Santos' story has gone viral online after he was announcing why he will miss the upcoming 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
This was after a "big revelation" circulated online by his father that James was illegally removed from the national team lineup, with less that two weeks away before the opening of the biennial meet.
Here is the post from OJ's Facebook post:
"Hello everyone.I’ve been quiet and wanted to take a break from social media. But I’ve been seeing what’s happening lately, so it’s time for me to speak up.
I am James de los Santos, six-time consecutive Philippine National Games Senior Gold Medalist, two-time SEA Games medalist, with the current 2017 SEA Games Bronze Medal.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
I’m sure some of you have seen the posts of Sensei Bern Tacay, my Sempai Gretchen Malalad, and my father. To clarify things, I want you guys to hear it straight from me. I’ll take it back to the beginning.
Last year 2018, six of my teammates and I stood up against the corruption allegations of the previous Karate NSA, with the backing and direction of a Philippine Sports Commissioner. Last December 2017, this PSC Commissioner came to my house in Cebu on two separate occasions. He convinced me and my parents that there will be a change in Karate.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
He told me and my teammates to write our statements. Thereafter, we had to deal with a court case. It was stressful because commutes were long and we always waited hours in the court. We had to miss training on the days, we had to travel to and from the trial court hearings.
Sorry to say, the change I was expecting to see, didn’t happen. The only CHANGE is them CHANGING ME.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
My father stated in his post that I, together with the team, competed in five high-level Senior tournaments. They are the Asian Senior Championships (2018 in Jordan, 2019 in Uzbekistan), the 2018 Asian Games, the Karate1 Series A in Shanghai, and the 2019 Southeast Asian Championships in Thailand. In all these tournaments, only TWO BRONZE MEDALS were concluded.
One of these was a 2018 Asian Games bronze medal provided by my teammate Junna Tsukii. She has also been competing in several Olympic qualifying tournaments; the Karate1 Premier League and Karate1 Series A this year 2019 with SUPPORT PROVIDED BY HER SPONSORS. THERE WAS NO SUPPORT FROM THIS NEW KARATE NSA known as KARATE PILIPINAS INC. (KPI).
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
Most of the time she was doing her own training program to prepare for these events. As a result, she snagged three Bronze medals (one from the Premier League, and two from the Series A). I congratulate her for that.
Going back, I was SELF-TRAINING for these five high-level Senior tournaments; I had NO PROPER COACHING. I was told by this Leader of the New Karate NSA that I’m not winning. Why am I being singled out? THE WHOLE TEAM WAS NOT WINNING in these tournaments either. Remember, only TWO BRONZE MEDALS were won from ALL 5 TOURNAMENTS. I AM REFERRING TO THE SENIOR LEVEL COMPETITION, NOT THE JUNIOR LEVEL. From what I know in any sport, if the team is performing poorly, the fault starts at the top. DON’T BLAME THE ATHLETES. BLAME THE LEADERSHIP, most especially this NSA for NOT PROVIDING US with the PROPER COACHING AND TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. It’s difficult to win without these.
James is a six-time consecutive Philippine National Games Senior Gold Medalist, two-time SEA Games medalist, with the current 2017 SEA Games Bronze Medal. Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
Last year 2018, the kata team was given a Japanese coach for two weeks training. In respect to him, he is a very credible sensei. But his style was different from mine; my karate style is Shotokan, and he was Shito Ryu. Also, 2 weeks was not enough. Afterwards, I self-trained again.
Sometime in August this year, we had a meeting regarding international training camps. The Kumite players will be sent to Turkey and the Kata players will be sent to Japan. All the kata players were sent to Japan with government support, EXCEPT ME. I WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CAMP. I WAS ABANDONED AND LEFT OUT IN MANILA, WITHOUT ANY PROPER COACHING OR PLAN. WHY WAS I BEING SINGLED OUT AGAIN?
James funded himself to train in Japan for 50 days just to represent the Philippines. Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
Fortunately, with the help of my sponsor, TMS Shipping Agency and my personal savings, I WAS ABLE TO FUND MYSELF TO TRAIN IN JAPAN FOR 50 DAYS.
During my stay in Japan, I learned many things that I never acquired during my previous years in the national team. I learned so much about Shotokan, which is my Kata style. For my new Kata, Sansai, I went to the Gensei-Ryu Karatedo International dojo, which was the ORIGINAL SCHOOL OF THE GENSEI-RYU STYLE AND WHERE THE KATA, SANSAI, ORIGINATED and they made technical adjustments on me for this kata. I’m very grateful to Kazuo Saito sensei, Masa Saito, and Asian/World kata champion Nozomi Yamanaka for helping take my kata to the next level.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
When I returned to Manila, my coaches were trying to reverse the training and teachings that I learned in Japan. Every time I would try to share with them what I learned in Japan, they would shrug it off and correct more of what I learned and basically were trying to make me go back to what I was doing before in my kata, before I left for training in Japan.
In a national team meeting, I was informed that there will be an evaluation for the Men’s Senior Individual Kata dated on November 7, 2019, which was exactly one month before the karate event of the SEA Games. I got confused to why there was an evaluation so near the SEA Games. Then I thought again, that going back to the month of August when I WAS ABANDONED IN MANILA WITHOUT PROPER COACHING OR PLAN, the NSA (KPI) already made up their mind on the SEA Games lineup. Despite trying to stay positive, I had a feeling that my fate was already sealed and this evaluation was just being orchestrated, to give them an “official reason” to not include me in the SEA Games lineup. As I’ve heard, the deadline for the NSA to submit the SEA Games lineup was October 2019.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
THE EVALUATION THAT TOOK PLACE WAS CLOSED DOOR. Only the national coaches, kata players, and FIVE JUDGES UNDER KPI were present. When I saw who the five judges were, it was already a dead giveaway. They were Kumite judges who were UNQUALIFIED TO JUDGE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL KATA. I also noticed that the NSA President and Vice President were not there in the evaluation room. Why was that? WHY WAS THE EVALUATION EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE COACHES AND REFEREES TO SEE? I also elected not to perform my Kata Sansai, which is a very strong Kata, because I know these judges are not familiar with it because it is not being performed in the Philippine circuit; only in the International circuit.
The result of the evaluation: I WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SEA GAMES LINEUP. After the result, the Foreign Kumite coach and local Kata coaches had the nerve to tell me, that MY PERFORMANCE WENT DOWN, AND TOLD ME NOT TO GO BACK TO MY SENSEI IN JAPAN. Who are they to criticise my Japanese sensei? My sensei in Japan is well-respected and has produced champions and currently has players in the Japan National Team. What have the Philippine National Team Kata coaches produced? Who are their champions?
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
Let’s talk about qualification. The one replacing me in the upcoming SEA Games has achievements in the JUNIOR LEVEL. He is the son of the KPI Vice President. The SEA Games is a SENIOR LEVEL TOURNAMENT. The only international tournament where he competed in the SENIOR INDIVIDUAL KATA was in the 2019 Southeast Asian Championships. He was knocked out in the first round while I made it to the second round. YOU CANNOT COMPARE JUNIOR TO SENIOR. The level of competition is VERY DIFFERENT.
The proper way to unseat a National Team member is to defeat him/her in the Philippine National Games. This kata player that they are replacing me with had the opportunity to compete with me in front of World Karate Federation referees at the last PNG SENIOR level in 2018, and he chose not to. He chose to compete in the JUNIOR LEVEL.
James with Legendary Kata Trainer, Sensei Haseme. Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
Mr. NSA President, I was robbed of being included in the SEA Games line up. You even tried to stop me from seeking my own training outside before; the training that you didn’t provide me. For 1 1/2 years, I trained without proper kata coaching. Yes, you sent me to high-level tournaments, but I was NOT TRAINED PROPERLY for them. That is why the WHOLE TEAM WAS NOT WINNING in these tournaments.
Because of all of this, YOU ABANDONED ME IN MANILA AND DID NOT PUT ME IN THE LINEUP. YOUR ORCHESTRATED EVALUATION WAS A SHAM. You did this because of all the reasons I stated. I AM JUST AN ATHLETE WHO HAS VERY HIGH ASPIRATIONS TO ACHIEVE THE BEST FOR MY COUNTRY AND YOU ROBBED ME OF MY RIGHT.
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
I will say this: I REGRET STANDING UP FOR CHANGE BECAUSE IT PUT YOU, NEW NSA PRESIDENT, WHERE YOU ARE AT TODAY.
God save Philippine Karate.
#magnificent7nomore
#karateNOTforall
#nothinghaschanged
#changedfortheworse
#powerplay"
This KPI NSA leader has been telling everyone that James hasn’t been winning but the proof in the medals and trophies are there!
This is not the CHANGE James stood up for. This is not what he wanted for the sport that he is so dedicated to. JAMES was BAMBOOZLED!!
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
James deserves to be in the SEA Games line up. He is the best kata player in the senior’s division. It’s a travesty that KPI excluded him from the team because he was vocal about issues concerning the athlete’s welfare.
Corruption is the reason why our sports performance had not improved very much, and why we lose athletes to other countries.
Attention friends please share this, we can't let another developing champ to be like Wesley So (who ended representing the Team U.S.A. and winning World Grand Master because he did not receive proper support from the Philippines). (READ: Why Wesley So is Not Playing for the Philippines)
Photo source via Facebook / James De Los Santos
We hope this will reach the proper authorities. End the corruption in the Philippine sports system! #SupportOurAthletes
JUST IN: Father of PH National Athlete James de los Santos, speaks up son's on SEA Games Controversy
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This article first appeared on Facebook.
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