Cojuangco, Dayrit clash on POC election guidelines

MANILA, Philippines — Incumbent Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. yesterday cried foul over what he described as a “concerted smear campaign” against him in his bid for a third term in the Olympic body.

Cojuangco said the rules that require candidates for POC president to attend general assembly meetings for at least two years straight wasn’t enacted under his term and thereby wasn’t designed to disqualify his opponents including, possibly, telecommunications tycoon and sports patron Manny V. Pangilinan.

“Contrary to news reports, the election rules as embodied in the POC constitution and by-laws was enacted during the term of Celso Dayrit. We merely inherited the POC rules when I assumed the POC presidency,” said Cojuangco in a text message.

But Dayrit, himself a former POC chief, acknowledged that the statutes were already there before Cojuangco’s terms but said they only “provide among others that to run for chair or president, he must be an active member of the GA (general assembly) for at least two years.”

He also said Friday that given the statute in question, he doesn’t “remember Cojuangco attending more than two GA meetings before he ran in 2004.”

The former fencing association head noted that Pangilinan is more than qualified to run.

“As NSA (national sports association) head, MVP is automatically a member of the GA and his active interaction with other NSAs for the past eight years more than qualifies him as declared by Peping himself. The statutes do not mention attendance in GA meetings as a prerequisite to qualification (to run),” Dayrit said.

Cojuangco filed his candidacy early last week, while Pangilinan has yet to openly declare his intention to seek the POC top post.

The basketball association president and chair of boxing and badminton, Pangilinan reportedly has the support of a big chunk of 40 voting NSAs, especially those which his Smart Foundation supports like taekwondo, football and triathlon, among others.

Deadline for filing of candidacy is Oct. 26 with former boxing head Manny Lopez and current boxing chief Ricky Vargas included in the list of possible presidential aspirants.