Exec board seeks audience with Vargas

The Philippine Olympic Committee executive board has called for a meeting to clear the issues regarding the local Olympic body’s dealings with the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).

Eight of the 12 executive board members sent a notice to POC secretary general Patrick Gregorio to call for a regular meeting on June 18 at POC headquarters inside the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

POC Communications director Ed Picson said the executive board meeting has been set June 17 at the SM Aura in Taguig after Phisgoc chair Alan Peter Cayetano convenes all the national sports associations on the same day to discuss the SEA Games preparations.

Majority of the POC executive board are willing to sit down with POC president Ricky Vargas to clear the air after the tumultuous general assembly that divided the house and put the entire organization in disarray.

On top of the agenda would be to enlighten the POC board members on the involvement of the body with the Phisgoc, the committee tasked to organize the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

It will the first time that the POC executive board will sit down since the general assembly that was immediately adjourned right after Vargas made a privilege speech before the leaders and representatives of the 50 national sports associations under the wings of the POC.

In a previous interview with the Inquirer, Vargas said he would gather the board and hope to achieve unity and camaraderie for the sake of the national athletes and the coming SEA Games.

“There’s nothing really personal in this, it’s just a misunderstanding,” said Vargas after the conflict within the POC took an ugly impression before the general assembly.

During the GA, Vargas announced the removal of Robert Bachmann and former POC president Peping Cojuangco as chairs of the membership and constitutional amendments committees.

Vargas also replaced SEAG chef de mission (CDM) Monsour del Rosario and 2020 Tokyo Olympics chef de mission Joey Romasanta, the first vice president of the POC.