The election committee (elecom) denied the electoral protests against incumbent Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president and Cavite Rep. Abraham “Bambol’’ Tolentino and four other candidates in the scheduled POC polls on Friday.
Election committee chair Teodoro Kalaw IV released the ruling on Sunday, allowing Tolentino to seek the POC leadership anew against challenger, POC executive board member Jesus Clint Aranas of archery.
Likewise given the green light to run are triathlon’s Tom Carrasco for chair, gymnastics’ Cynthia Carrion-Norton for treasurer and board member candidates Jose Raul Canlas of surfing and Dave Carter of judo.
“All official protests filed against candidates Carrasco, Tolentino, Carrion-Norton, Canlas and Carter are denied in their entirety for lack of merit,’’ said the elecom order signed by Kalaw and members Danilo Concepcion, University of the Philippines president, and former International Olympic Committee representative Frank Elizalde.
The protests on Carrasco, Tolentino, Norton and Carter were hinged on their involvement with the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) and the alleged nondisclosure of their compensation to the POC general assembly.
“The wisdom behind the decision of the committee is equitable. Nothing in the (POC) bylaws mention anything about their ground for disqualification,’’ said Tolentino in a statement.
Carrasco was also questioned for the alleged lack of time he served as a national sports association official of at least four years, even as the protesters contended that Canlas lacked the two-year requirement as president of the surfing association to run as board member.
“The Phisgoc (issue) was never about the POC elections. That would be a very shallow underhanded tactic employed by cowards. The case is based on valid grounds with the heart of transparency and accountability behind it,’’ said Aranas, whose group filed the protest.
Aranas filed the protests together with POC chair Steve Hontiveros, athletics chief Philip Ella Juico, POC treasurer Julian Camacho of wushu, former Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella of weightlifting, POC board member Robert Mananquil of billiards, Robert Bachmann of squash, lawyer Charlie Ho of netball and Col. Jeff Tamayo of soft tennis.
The polls are scheduled on Friday at East Ocean Palace in Parañaque. Hontiveros is seeking to extend his term as well as Camacho and Mananquil. INQ