A new hope? RTC orders fresh POC polls on Feb. 23

People pushing for new leadership in the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president might just find hope on Feb. 23, 2018.

That’s the date the Pasig Regional Trial Court set for POC to hold new elections for president and chair—and this time, boxing chief Ricky Vargas can run against Cojuangco.

Vargas earned the reprieve when the RTC voided Cojuangco’s earlier victory in the POC elections last Nov. 25, 2016—where he ran unopposed—and ordered a new round of voting next year.

Judge Maria Gracia Cadiz-Casaclang of Pasig RTC Branch 155 on Wednesday declared null and void the POC polls that gave Cojuangco a fourth straight term.

Casaclang likewise said Vargas and Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino should be allowed to run for president and chair, respectively.

“I am much relieved by the court decision. We fought on principle and now the NSAs (national sports associations) are given the opportunity to choose,” said Vargas, president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.

The Inquirer tried but failed to reach Cojuangco for comment, but the savvy politician is expected to seek legal remedies to oppose the court order or at least hold off the February polls.

“This decision now opens up the democratic process. A patently wrong and discriminatory position has been corrected,” said Vargas. “The reforms have begun.”

Vargas was supposed to challenge Cojuangco, the incumbent president at that time, but was disqualified by the election committee headed by former International Olympic Committee representative Frank Elizalde.

The POC comelec, which also had Bro. Bernie Oca FSC and representative Conrado Estrella III as members, ruled that Vargas and Tolentino were not “active members” of the POC general assembly.

Tolentino is the country’s cycling chief and president of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines.

According to Elizalde, Article 7, Section 11 of the POC constitution and bylaws state that candidates for president and chair should be an active member of the POC general assembly for two consecutive years.