Elections for a new Philippine Olympic Committee president will be held as soon as the 30th Southeast Asian Games are over. POC president Ricky Vargas said this following a meeting of the POC General Assembly yesterday at the Max’s Restaurant in Pasig.
Vargas said the new polls will be held January 2020 before the Tokyo Olympics, which will be a break from POC tradition.
“I’m saying to them. Let’s have elections already. My appeal to them is to get together after the SEA Games,” said Vargas.
New elections were called after officials of the POC were removed from key positions, and after questions on the status of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee were raised and answered by the POC legal counsel in previous days.
Vargas said loss of trust and confidence was the main reason why former POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., Joey Romasanta, Robert Bachmann, Makati Congressman Monsour del Rosario and lawyer Charlie Ho were removed from their posts.
“I will not allow the POC to be dragged down by the very people who caused the miserable performance of Team Philippines in the recent past. I will not allow people who have mismanaged POC for more than a decade to throw us back to the dark ages,” said Vargas in his statement he read during the meeting.
Bachmann’s position as chairman of the membership committee was given to Muay Thai’s Lucas Managuelod, while Vargas will fill the spot of chairman of the constitutional amendments committee, in place of Cojuangco.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez was appointed as chef de mission of the 30th SEA Games, in place of del Rosario. POC chairman Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino takes over from Romasanta as Tokyo Olympics chef de mission.
Tolentino informed Ramirez of his appointment but the PSC chairman declined. Ho was also removed as assistant SEA Games CDM.
The revamp in positions in the POC took place after seven board members, led by Cojuangco, Romasanta, Antonio Tamayo Jr., Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Julian Camacho and Clint Aranas convened a special meeting last April 30 to raise questions on the incorporation and role of the Phisgoc in the coming SEA Games.
Also present were Bachmann, Ho and Frank Elizalde.
The questions in the special meeting were eventually answered by POC legal counsel Alberto Agra in a separate letter last May 26.
The GA meeting was adjourned some 90 minutes after it started, and after Bachmann raised a howl of protest over the POC’s actions.
“Sad. It’s sad. I expected more from him. I expected more from him as president,” said Bachmann.
Vargas was installed as president of the POC in place of Cojuangco February last year.
Vargas said there was a move to remove Karen Caballero as deputy secretary-general but Caballero will keep her post.
A representative from sponsor Asics attended the meeting yesterday. He was unable to speak after the meeting was adjourned early.
Malacañang will provide additional funding to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the release of an additional P1 billion in funding for ongoing preparations.
So far, a total of P6.5 billion has been allocated for the Games preparation and management.