MANILA, Philippines - Unless things fall into place, the Philippines may be in for its worst showing in the Southeast Asian Games.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping issued this warning yesterday amid the continuing squabbles among local sports officials that preparations for the Laos SEA Games set Dec. 9-18 seemed to have taken the backseat.

“If nothing happens in the next three months maybe this will be the worst performance ever for the Philippines. And it could be very embarrassing. This will be the saddest days of our lives,” said Angping.

The PSC chief said the Philippine Olympic Committee’s prediction of 30 gold medals for the Filipinos in Laos is still “very high.”

Angping said based on statistics and if the Philippines will send the same athletes to Laos as in Thailand, then the gold medal haul may be down to just 15 to 20.

“Maybe 15 to 20 at most. Of the 338 golds to be disputed in Laos, we only have entries in about half so that’s around 150. And if we’re only good for 10 percent then that’s 15 gold medals,” said Angping.

He added that based on history, the Philippines is good for about 10 percent of the total medals its athletes vie for.

Angping said the PSC is willing to spend for all the athletes, even if it means shelling out more than that P30 million earlier earmarked for Laos, as long as the athletes it will fund will have chances of winning the gold.

Under the criteria set by the POC, which includes gold and silver medalists in Thailand, more than a hundred athletes are qualified to represent the country in Laos. But Angping said winning medals two years ago does not mean that the athlete is still good for a medal in Laos.

Angping’s staff made a power-point presentation of some of the athletes’ profile, and enumerated those whose performances have deteriorated over the last two years and yet they are shoo-ins for the national team.

“That’s why I need to talk to the 25 NSAs (national sports associations) who will compete in Laos. By Tuesday I need to talk to them and I will present this to them,” said the PSC chief.

Mario Tanchangco of pencak silat, the chief-of-mission of the RP Team to Laos, yesterday reportedly said the PSC has no right to screen the athletes, because it’s the NSAs who “know better.”

“So, what’s the bottomline? Are we going to send all the nominees despite us knowing well that they don’t stand a chance? That is the question we are addressing right now. What is our game plan? Is it just to participate or win medals? If it’s just to participate then let’s just close our eyes,” Angping argued.

“Maybe we have to cut down on the number of athletes. Or maybe we need a miracle,” he said.