GTK decries backers’ ouster

Defeated Philippine Olympic Committee presidential candidate Go Teng Kok has come out in the open to oppose what he said was a calculated effort by the new POC leadership to oust national sports association (NSA) presidents who had voted for him during the last POC elections.

Go was referring to cycling president Joaquin Preysler, who was replaced by Ponciano Regalado, and weightlifting president Rodones Sicat, who is facing charges of incompetence and for having elected Go in the POC elections held Nov. 24.

Preysler and Sicat were two of the 11 NSA presidents who voted for Go in last month’s elections where he was defeated by rival Celso Dayrit, 11-22.

"After the elections, tapos na. I shook hands with them. What else do they want? Tanggalin nila ang aking mga supporters?" Go asked.

Go said Sicat was expected to go to Greece to attend a meeting on the 2004 Olympics Wednesday as a representative of the POC. However, he said the POC would not issue his ticket because he was facing charges as president of the weightlifting association.

Go said he feared that all other PSA presidents who voted for him might also be in danger of being ousted.

In an interview, Dayrit said he does not know of any ouster move involving other NSA presidents and the case of Preysler and Sicat is not in any way connected to their having supported Go in the POC elections.

As far as Dayrit is concerned, Preysler is still president of the Philippine Amateur Cycling Association, and not Regalado who was recently sworn in as officer-in-charge by the breakaway group led by PACA vice president for Visayas Emmanuel Bayot.

"Siya (Preysler) pa din," the POC president said yesterday. "All he has to do is disprove the allegations that he was not elected as president of the cycling group. He must only reply to the POC that he is correct and that the other group is wrong so this issue will not be blown out of proportion in the media."

Bayot’s group claims that Preysler, who took over the PACA leadership after the death of former PACA head Francisco Almeda two years ago, does not have the right to claim the presidency since no election took place last January contrary to Preysler’s stand.

"We really don’t have any records on this elections which Preysler says took place last January. In fact, the PACA leadership was turned over to him even before I assumed the POC leadership that’s why as of this moment, we have not gone into any kind of conclusion," Dayrit added.

The standard operating procedure in the POC, Dayrit said, is that once a complaint or an allegation is lodged against a leader of a sports association recognized by the POC, the parties concerned must explain matter to the POC in writing.

"And right now, we are still awaiting for the explanation of Mr. Preysler. He needs to explain as soon as possible because issues like this affect the image of Philippine sports in general, especially now that we are beginning our preparations for the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur next September," Dayrit added.

Dayrit added that this is not the case with the Philippine Weightlifting Association whose chairman, Atty. Narciso Aliño, recently charged Sicat of being unfit to run the association because of his poor leadership values, including the latter’s decision to support Go in the recent POC elections without consulting the PWA officers and board of trustees.

"Iba naman ang kaso ng weightlifting. But just the same, this is an internal problem within the association so they must resolve this among themselves," said Dayrit.