RTC gags cycling's Tolentino

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Branch 93, has prohibited Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham Tolentino from representing himself as the rightful PhilCycling president in activities sanctioned by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

In an temporary restraining order dated Oct. 12, 2009, Judge Ramon Paul Hernando ordered Tolentino to stop representing himself and his group “as having the mandate to promote cycling activities and in representing himself as PhilCycling president in respect of the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Youth Games, South East Asian Games and other games in which POC sanction is mandated, excluding however all other competition in which POC sanction is not required.” 

Dr. Michael Romero was elected PhilCycling president May 9 at the Amoranto Sports Complex. The election was scheduled and sanctioned by the POC, the result of which Tolentino refused to accept, the court noted. 

Despite the TRO, Romero said he feels sad since the athletes themselves are severely affected by the leadership struggle.

“At last the cycling row is over but the most affected would be the chances of our riders for the 2009 SEAG in Laos,” said Romero. “The lack of preparation and lack of competition brought about by the cycling problems will severely affect our athletes’ chances.”

PhilCycling legal counsel Samuel Estimo said Tolentino had no reason to complain about the procedure adopted by the POC in resolving the impasse in PhilCycling since he himself participated in the mediation and arbitration sessions conducted by a POC panel headed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative to the Philippines Frank Elizalde. Estimo also stressed that Tolentino himself submitted his position paper to the panel.

The TRO obtained by the group of Romero came at a time when Go Teng Kok, special assistant to POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Estimo and PhilCycling vice-president Arnold Taberdo had an audience and conferred with Samah Wahab, president of the ASEAN Cycling Association, in Malaysia.

Wahab assured the group that he would report to the Union Cycliste Internationale the election of Romero as Philcycling head.

Likewise, Cojuangco and Elizalde were able to talk to UCI president Pat Mcquaid in Copenhagen, Denmark during the IOC Congress and assured the two officials on the matter of Romero’s election as the rightful president of Philcycling.

Since his election as Philcycling president, Romero has bankrolled several activities, foremost of which was the staging of open tryouts for the national team to the upcoming SEA Games in Laos this December. 

After a series of tryouts, Romero’s group has already selected the riders who will represent the country in the biennial event. Aside from the mandated cash incentives by the government, Romero has also pledged to give additional cash rewards to the winners in the coming SEA games.