POC board to decide on snap elections

Should the planned snap polls of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) push through?

Depends on who you ask.

Former POC secretary general Steve Hontiveros, currently the handball association boss, said on Friday that the Olympic body must prioritize the Southeast Asian Games the country will host from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10 over the need to replace former POC chiefs Ricky Vargas and Joey Romasanta, who resigned in succession a week apart.

“Let’s save the SEA Games the POC can run with the current officers in place,” Hontiveros told the Inquirer. “After the SEA Games then let’s deal with all of these.”

Former POC chair and current weightlifting body head Monico Puentevella begs to differ.

“Let’s settle it as soon as possible because we can’t allow these bickering during the SEA Games. We can do it now and avoid even more embarrassment before our SEA neighbors,” Puentevella added.

The difference in opinion is likely to run down the lines splitting the factions within the Olympic body and Romasanta, the longtime right-hand man of former POC president Peping Cojuangco, wants a clear direction. After announcing his resignation as Vargas’ successor to “give way to new faces” in the POC, the former Gintong Alay project director, who also backed the call for snap polls, now wants the executive board to decide in a meeting on July 1 if it will recommend to the general assembly that the body hold elections for all posts.

Much of the stalling could stem from the fact that billiards boss Robert Mananquil has been quoted as saying that some of those who resigned in a June 25 special meeting to pave the way for the elections were set to change their minds.

“Now tell me, you think the rest of the POC officers will be willing to step down? They have mandates,” Hontiveros added.