INQUIRER Sports

THIS IS an urgent call for Dr. Mikee Romero, youthful and respected Filipino sportsman, to stop swindlers from using his name and raking it in through the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Dr. Romero must move fast to save his name. He has been dragged into a sporting mess which had supporters of propriety in the national Olympic hierarchy squirming in disbelief.

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?Do you think he?s aware of this?? I asked columnist Beth Celis, who used to have a ready link to Romero?s cellphone.

She had been trying to contact him last week yet.

?He has not responded to my messages, ayaw niya, di ?wag na,? Celis explained around lunchtime yesterday.

Celis had all but given up on Romero, owner of the famous Harbour Center basketball powerhouse that established a dynasty in the Philippine Basketball League.

Romero was among those who led the fight against the defunct Basketball Association of the Philippines and eventually helped set up the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, now headed by tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan.

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Romero was scheduled to return to the country Wednesday.

He was away for nearly a month on official business in the United States.

Before his departure early last month, his name was mentioned among those aspiring for the chairmanship of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling).

Anyway, during his absence, PhilCycling held an election that was ordered and supervised by the POC.

Romero ended up as PhilCycling chair after that poll.

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But before that, Romero?s name, in a strange twist, had ended up among the bets for PhilCycling president.

Romero was however edged out, 6-5, by former national cyclist Rolando Hiso in a down-the-wire presidential race.

As a result, Romero was automatically picked PhilCycling chair, reportedly his original target.

Then came the messy part that had Romero?s name linked with a clique in the POC.

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Romero obviously has no knowledge of this:

When the newly elected PhilCycling officers held their first board meeting on May 17, two board members, namely Cesar Filosopo and Armando Bautista, ordered President Hiso to step down in favor of Romero.

Their reason for doing it: two more board members, absent during the official election at the Amoranto Stadium on May 9, had been made to cast their board votes in favor of Romero.

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As reported in this space last week, well-meaning sportsmen could not believe it when they learned how the official election of Hiso had been slammed and slimed in the POC.

These sportsmen said it was the first time they had heard of installment elections.

For the record, Hiso?s name was posted in the official POC website immediately after the May 9 elections as the duly elected PhilCycling president.

Hiso was next asked to submit his national lineup for the Laos Southeast Asian Games.

But in a foul twist, POC president Peping Cojuangco next said the PhilCycling poll winners would not be upheld until the squabbles, caused by the duo of Filosopo and Bautista, were settled in the cycling officialdom.

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This is no longer funny.

It was Cojuangco himself who had ordered the elections in order to end the disputes.

Then he could not suddenly recognize the official result because those who had been causing trouble in the association wanted their choice to be installed as cycling chief.

There were also claims that another POC bigwig had insisted Romero?despite losing the official vote?should be made PhilCycling president because the young sportsman has the money.

There was a clear intention here to sabotage the Olympic movement.

Unfortunately, Dr. Romero, nowhere in sight, has yet to move to stop another looming anomaly under the Cojuangco POC.

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(HAIL & GOODBYE: A toast to the St. Theresa?s College Cherubims of Bauan, Batangas who return Friday from Kuala Lumpur where they represented the Philippines and won the championship in the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod VII, a competition among select choirs in Asia? Prayers please for Rolly M. Mayor of Pangao, Lipa City and formerly of the Philippine Airlines, who passed away on Monday at age 49. He lies in state at the family residence in Purok 4, Pangao Centro)