MANILA, Philippines - If Peping Cojuangco still has a few fans left?despite his sorry record as POC president?his handful of believers should waste no time and rally around their troubled chief.

They also have to push him out of the quicksand?quick.

Cojuangco, for his part, has got to get up and shake a leg

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For starters, the beleaguered Philippine Olympic Committee chief has not only become a lame-duck president.

Cojuangco, beloved brother of national heroine Cory Aquino, has visibly lost the respect of several sports leaders.

It?s now easy to accuse Cojuangco of sleeping in the cabaret.

The least he can do is jump up and boogie.

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If to a blind, corrupt lawman, Cojuangco could be accused of sponsoring anarchy.

By dragging his feet and refusing to act objectively on boiling leadership tussles, Cojuangco has allowed Olympism to be trampled right in his backyard.

He should?ve at least displayed a semblance of competence and courage by discouraging lawlessness in several national sports associations.

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The POC, for one, suffered a big black-eye following the fire-off yesterday of the multistaged Tour of Luzon.

There was nothing exactly wrong with the Tour, which obviously has well-meaning commercial backers.

But Cojuangco did RP sports a big disservice by refusing to lift a finger after Tour organizers, headed by Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino, self-styled head of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines, announced that the race would serve as official tryout for members of the RP team to the Laos Southeast Asian Games.

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That was a direct affront on Cojuangco.

For the record, it was only PSC chair Harry Angping who has ignorantly bestowed recognition on Tolentino?s group.

As manifested in an official communication, one of Angping?s early acts was to seek a working relationship with Tolentino, whom the PSC chief wrongly called the rightfully elected national cycling association president.

The power of anointing national sports association officials lie solely in the POC, which is scheduled to hold a general assembly tomorrow.

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Anyway, lawyer Samuel Estimo reported yesterday that Tolentino has made false claims with the International Cycling Union in seeking an imprimatur for the Tour.

Tolentino has told the UCI his election did not encounter any objections, a complete falsehood, Estimo said.

Tolentino?s election was actually a defiance of established rules, Estimo maintained.

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In refusing to act against venalities, Cojuangco has succeeded in baring what cheap, comic stuff he?s made of.

Not only that. They?ve also likened the ineffective leader to a troubled ship.

He is either sinking or has totally lost direction.

As POC head, Cojuangco has obviously become RP sports? own biggest black eye.

That, you bet, is worse than being a footless dummy.

Or can Peping still jump up and boogie?