POC panel to address PABA issues

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has formed its own three-man committee to “resolve the problems” of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association and allayed fears of taking over the function of the association by coordinating with the baseball stakeholders themselves.

In a recent board meeting, the POC executive board tasked secretary-general Steve Hontiveros, legal counsel Ramon Malinao, and businessman Marty Eizmendi to tackle the PABA issue, including the overdue elections and the team set to compete in this year’s Southeast Asian Games.

Baseball stakeholders were taken aback by this development as they were hoping to hold smooth elections after a summit and a series of consultations aimed at fixing PABA’s membership.

Their 11-member ad hoc committee earlier set a Sept. 14 voting, but postponed it for a later date.

The POC’s new committee, explained by its officials, sought to “bring together a meeting of the minds of the different baseball stakeholders” with regards to the “holding of transparent elections and submission of POC-approved constitution and by-laws.”

“The committee will coordinate everything with the stakeholders,” said Hontiveros, dismissing perception that this is a takeover of PABA by the POC.

Baseball stakeholders have earlier formed an ad hoc body upon the instruction of the POC itself and set an initial election on Sept. 14, a process that has since been put on hold.

The POC group is also to “coordinate” with the stakeholders regarding the need of the national pool currently training for the SEAG and possible funding for the team tapped to contend for the baseball gold.

“Personally, I feel the team has a big chance of winning the gold so we’ll try to find private funding (to send them to the SEAG),” Hontiveros said.

This new development practically brought the baseball issue back to square one.

Ad hoc committee chairman Ely Baradas and member Leslie Suntay of Baseball Philippines both declined to comment on the POC’s new body, saying that to date, they haven’t received any form of communication about it.