Define roles for peace within POC–Hontiveros

Newly elected Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chair Steve Hontiveros said that peace within the organization should be obtained for the sake of the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games this November.

But it can only happen by clearing up the roles of the POC, the national sports associations (NSAs), the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).

“Right now there are overlapping roles,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros of handball ran in the recent snap polls with the group of athletics’ Philip Juico, who lost the presidential race to cycling’s Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

And Tolentino, who wants unity more than anything else, hinted on Tuesday that he knows that he has an executive board that is “unfriendly” to him.

Hontiveros said he will ask for a closed-door board meeting so “every one gets to sit and talk with the new president.”

“These three agencies (POC, PSC, NSAs) need to sit down and have a memorandum of agreement with the Phisgoc,” Hontiveros said.

POC’s previous agreement with Phisgoc, which reportedly didn’t have the approval of the POC board, sparked the revolt against Ricky Vargas, who was forced to resign his post, hence the recent elections.

A former FIQ (international bowling federation) president, Hontiveros said there is also a need to show the international sporting committee that the POC is unified and ready to host the SEA Games.

“Foreign countries are asking me what’s happening, so we need to have a united front,” Hontiveros added.

“I hope and pray that we can work together for the sake of Philippine sports,” Hontiveros said. “We can work together and find the common denominator.”