The president of the Indian Olympic Association and the International Hockey Federation, Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, will observe the process that the Philippine Olympic Committee will undergo to elect new officers including its president.
Batra will be in Manila to attend two meetings of the POC General Assembly later this month.
Batra’s presence was confirmed in a letter that was sent by International Olympic Committee director for Olympic Solidarity and National Olympic Committee Relations James Macleod and Olympic Council of Asia director general Hussain al-Musallam to concerned officials.
Only three positions in the Philippine Olympic Committee executive board, not four, will be up for grabs.
This is after board member Cynthia Carrion decided not to push through with her decision to resign.
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines chief explained that she had a change of heart after she addressed her letter of resignation to Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, and not the executive board.
Tolentino, according to Carrion, did not accept her resignation letter.
“He feels that it is not irrevocable. So, he is not accepting, so I am still a board member,” said Carrion.
Carrion added she has already consulted legal counsel and obstacle course chief Al Agra over her situation.
Issues concerning Carrion’s decision will be among the matters that the executive board will resolve during the POC extraordinary general assembly on July 18 at the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati.
Without Carrion, the positions for president, the chairman and a board member will be disputed during polls that will be held on July 28.
So far, only boxing’s Ricky Vargas, archery’s Clint Aranas and chairman Abraham Tolentino are considered resigned since they have already forwarded their letters addressed to the board.
Vargas quit amid questions raised by the board on the incorporation of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee Foundation, which is under Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.
The Phisgoc Foundation is a separate entity from the ad hoc committee of the Phisgoc.
So far, veteran lawyer Rene Sarmiento will head the election committee that will supervise the coming elections.
The executive board also named NCAA management committee member, Fr. Victor Calvo as part of the POC election committee.
There will also be a representative from the Philippine Disputes Resolution Center, an arbitration group that was formed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce.