Joseph's post 'illegal' - ASAP

MANILA, Philippines - Aquatic Sports Association of the Philippines (ASAP) officials have continued to question the legitimacy of Mark Joseph as president of the national swimming body, saying they won’t stop making noise until the Philippine Olympic Committee intervenes and resolves the issue.

Atty. Ma. Luz Arzaga-Mendoza, the ASAP president, said they would urge the POC to rule on the case long pending in the office of the national Olympic body.

“The illegitimacy of Joseph’s presidency has been established (by the POC). The POC should do something about it. They’re coddling a violator (of an agreement),” said Mendoza.

ASAP officials are up in arms with Joseph being reelected as PASA president in a meeting over the weekend in Mactan, Cebu.

“His PASA presidency has been assailed since 2004. There’s a POC finding of the illegitimacy. He’s illegal from the time they conducted the election in 2004,” said Mendoza.

Former PASA secretary general Chito Rivera said they’re not out to wrest control of the federation from Joseph but want a legitimate, transparent election.

“We don’t want to unseat him. We just want to erase any cloud of doubt,” said Rivera. “We know he’s good, so why not submit himself to a legitimate election. Let’s have a clean slate. Be man enough to follow the agreement.”

The group was pointing to the compromise agreement the warring swimming leaders reached with the help of the POC arbitration committee in February 2005.

The agreement called for Joseph to hold elections of regional directors of PASA in order to complete the composition of the PASA board that would in turn elect the association’s president.

ASAP said Joseph never called for elections and has stayed on as PASA president.

“I’m not for any position. I’m for a good program for the development of our swimmers,” said former swimming star Susan Papa. “We don’t have that under Joseph. The sport is dying with him because of the suspension he’s meting here and there.”

ASAP said that in a meeting convened to probe Joseph’s compliance, the POC Executive Board on June 17, 2008 found that Joseph had indeed violated the terms of the agreement. The board then decided to postpone its action on the matter “until after the Beijing Olympics,” and subsequently set a date, Sept. 2, 2008, to settle the PASA issue. But no such meeting took place after the Beijing Games.