Bambol vs Popoy? POC polls set July 28

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will appoint the key personnel of an independent election committee on Monday in preparation to end the long-running conflict within the organization.

Upon the orders of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the majority members of the POC executive board have been instructed to form the election body, whose task is to set the guidelines of the polls scheduled for July 28.

The POC will hold the elections to fill up the leadership vacuum created by the resignation of former POC president Ricky Vargas and POC chair Abraham Tolentino.

These positions, along with two slots in the board vacated by Clint Aranas of archery and Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics, will be elected by the general assembly.

“I am thankful for the guidance of the IOC/OCA on our POC special election to fill up the vacated positions,” said POC acting president Joey Romasanta, who also functions as POC first vice president. “We are hopeful we can fulfill the procedural steps leading to an orderly election befitting an NOC (National Olympic Committee).”

In a letter dated July 2, the IOC/OCA directive required that all resigned officials are prohibited from attending Monday’s executive board meeting.

Everyone in the board who were present in a tumultuous meeting last month resigned, with only Tolentino, Vargas, Aranas and Carrion formalizing theirs in writing.

It means Tolentino, Vargas, Aranas and Carrion are barred from attending, leaving Romasanta, vice president Jeff Tamayo, treasurer Julian Camacho, auditor Jonne Go, board members Prospero Pichay and Robert Mananquil and IOC representative Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski to decide on election rules.

Tolentino has declared his intention to try his luck as president in the polls while track and field chief Philip Ella Juico has been rumored to run against him.

Talks are also rife that Juico, a former chair of the Philippine Sports Commission, will join hands with handball president Steve Hontiveros as his chairman.

After the creation of the election committee, the general assembly will have it ratified on July 18 before setting the date of the polls on July 28 to be witnessed by observers from the IOC and the OCA.