Comelec can't stop polls - Art

The committee overseeing the Philippine Olympic Committee elections tomorrow has no power to stop the polls because of impending court injunctions, shooting chief and POC presidential aspirant Art Macapagal said yesterday.

“Their role there is to administer the election. They’re not even allowed to decide who can vote and who can not,” said Macapagal.

“It’s like they plan to use a cannon to kill a fly, they’ll burn the whole house just to kill a rat,” added the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympian.

Macapagal was reacting to earlier statements made by former Rep. Victorico Chaves, who the other day warned that a court injunction against the POC elections could lead to the cancellation of the POC political exercise.

“If there is a court injunction such as a temporary restraining order on the elections and anyone involved in it, then we might have to cancel the elections,” Chaves said Tuesday.

Chaves said court injunction involving several NSAs (national sports associations) will be “tantamount to government intervention, which the International Olympic Committee frowns upon.” – Joey Villar