INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Party list representative Carisa Coscolluela is now the new president of the Equestrian Association of the Philippines.

The Federation Equestre Internationale (international equestrian federation) has confirmed the election of Coscolluela as equestrian head, succeeding Jose ?Peping? Cojuangco Jr. in a letter it sent last May 28.

The FEI ?confirms recognition of your National Federation as the sole authority (besides the FEI itself) for FEI equestrian disciplines in the Philippines,? said the letter, signed by FEI chief executive and secretary general Alexander McLin.

McLin upheld the election of Coscolluela ?on the basis of the written submissions of both parties and the evidence produced.?

Coscolluela?s group had earlier submitted to the FEI all documents pertaining to their April 23 elections?which Cojuangco, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, branded as illegal in another set of documents he also sent to the international body.

McLin also thanked Cojuangco for his ?past contribution to equestrian sports.?

Cojuangco, who will remain as POC president, refused to make a comment, saying he has yet to formally receive the letter from FEI.

A copy of the letter was e-mailed to the Inquirer by Coscolluela herself.

?We are very thankful for the final recognition that the FEI has given us after it conducted an exhaustive and comprehensive investigation into the matter, and we hope that everyone concerned, especially the POC, will respect this decision so that we can finally move forward and do what we originally set out to do,? said Coscolluela in a statement.

The POC constitution allows Cojuangco to stay on as POC head since he was elected to a second term last November, when he was still the equestrian president.

It was under the same condition that Rene Cruz of badminton remained as POC president late in the 1990s, even though former first lady Ming Ramos was already the new head then.

Cojuangco refused to acknowledge Coscolluela as new equestrian president at the recent POC general assembly, saying the earlier FEI recognition for Coscolluela was conditional.