PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. is no long eligible to seek another term of office in POC.
A total term limit of 12 years has been set by the International Olympic Committee, so said Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta in a letter of protest which he filed before the election panel of the POC last Friday.
“This letter of protest that I filed is all about good governance. This should have been adopted already by the POC,” said Araneta in an interview with Manila Standard.
In his letter addressed to the three-man election panel headed by Frank Elizalde, Araneta stressed six points against Cojuangco, and bared that the IOC provision for president was issued on Dec. 12, 1999.
Under the 17-year ruling, the president has a fixed term of four years, and is renewable for four years only and a total of 12 years in office.
Because of this, Araneta says Cojuangco is violating section 2.8, which is about Good Governance in the IOC Code of Ethics.
“It is most respectfully submitted that the incumbent president of the POC has served for 12 years, violated this provision when he submitted his presidency for another four years stating 2016.
Araneta told the panel that Cojuangco should have voluntarily refrained from serving another term, even without protest leveled against him.
He also added that the POC and Cojuangco were not able to define what an “active member” is.
And this again violates Section 2.8, which states that “elections should be governed by clear, transparent, and fair rules.”
“In disqualifying candidates of Congressman Abraham Tolentino and Mr. Victorico P. Vargas, without due process, the POC, the Election Committee, and President Jose S. Cojuangco, Jr. are guilty of derailing the electoral process with the end in view of perpetuating the term of office of the incumbent President,” said Araneta.
Elizalde said the pane. will act on Araneta’s complaint by the end of the week once he gets back from a trip to Switzerland.