Desperately hoping for a TRO

It was supposed to be a toxic day yesterday for Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) president Ricky Vargas.

Vargas was scheduled to attend the Senate and Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 159 hearings on the controversies hounding the Philippine Olympic Committee which has been hogging sports headlines for the past three weeks.

However, the Senate hearing that will investigate the controversial disqualification of Vargas to run for president in the POC polls this Friday was canceled.

The Committee on Sports chaired by Sen. Manny Pacquiao was likewise supposed to look into the alleged unliquidated P130 million funds released by the Philippine Sports Commission to the POC from 2010 to 2016.

Vargas expressed hope that the court will grant his request for a temporary restraining order on the POC elections.

“Our prayer is that a TRO be issued before the 25th which is the election day set by the POC. Otherwise there will be a permanent harm as I and cycling president Rep. Bambol Tolentino, who is running for chair, will remain disqualified depriving us of our rights to be candidates,” said Vargas.

One national sports association head said the current Philippine scenario reminded him of what happened to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IOA in 2012 on the basis of corruption, government interference and not following guidelines of the IOC.

The ban was lifted the following year after IOA and IOC officials reached an agreement, just in time for India to field athletes to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The NSA head is hoping this will not happen to the Philippines.