No-shows in POC forum

It was unfortunate that not all the candidates showed up for the first-ever POC election forum at the Audio Visual Room on the ground floor of Building A in the PhilSports Complex last Thursday.

Of the 18 qualified candidates, 11 checked in to attend the forum which the POC election committee, headed by former Rep. Victorico (Concoy) Chaves, organized to elevate the level of the campaign beyond personalities. Worse, only 27 of the 43 voters came, indicating either a lack of interest or a closed mindset. Still, it was a laudable effort to bring together the candidates and the voters in the spirit of Olympic harmony.

The candidates who failed to show up were Ernesto Echauz and Hector Navasero for executive board members, former Rep. Prospero Pichay for auditor, Julian Camacho for treasurer, Col. Jeff Tamayo and Mayor Abraham (Bambol) Tolentino for second vice president and Tom Carrasco for chairman. Tamayo, however, was represented by his son Jai and Conchita Calzado, a Tribal Games beneficiary as chairman of an indigenous community from Quezon. Carrasco was in Bicol on a business commitment and Red Dumuk spoke in his behalf.

The two voting representatives of the Athletes Commission, Harry Tanamor and Marestella Torres, were absent. The 14 voting NSAs that were not represented in the forum were from athletics, badminton, baseball, chess, cycling, football, pencak silat, rowing, sailing, sepak takraw, shooting, skating, swimming and wushu. IOC representative Frank Elizalde, a voter, was among the first to arrive.

Fr. Luke Ypil of the Contemplatives of the Pierced Hearts celebrated Holy Mass to start the program then gave a personal blessing to each candidate. Chaves was unable to attend because he went to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Global City for a check-up on a reflux condition. The election committee was represented by Ricky Palou who delivered the opening and closing remarks.

Reelectionist candidate for chairman Monico Puentevella earlier said he wouldn’t show up due to a previous commitment to attend the PFF Board meeting in Cebu. But he came just the same. Puentevella said he excused himself from the meeting to appear in the forum. However, he left early to catch the late flight to Bacolod because he couldn’t miss celebrating his son’s birthday. Puentevella couldn’t wait for his turn to speak in the program otherwise he would miss his flight and appealed to the audience for indulgence in asking for a fresh four-year mandate as chairman.

Candidate for executive board member Victor Africa, president of the Philippine Fencing Association, was first in line and made a power-point presentation on the opposition’s program of “reform and change.” He took up his five minutes allocation and Navasero’s time for the presentation. Africa batted for a Sports By All Commission and pushed for the creation of a pool of accredited elite coaches. He said the POC should be a mediator, not an arbiter, and called for NSAs to be responsible and accountable in their autonomy. Another candidate for executive board member Cynthia Carrion, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, spoke candidly about her determination and persistence in getting things done. The other candidates for executive board member were just as articulate – Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter, Philippine Volleyball Federation president Generoso Dungo and Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation secretary-general Jonne Go. Four of the seven candidates will be elected as executive board members.

As candidate for auditor, National Golf Association of the Philippines secretary-general Godofredo Galindez stressed the need to be vigilant in safeguarding the finances of the POC and explained why he is qualified for the job. Squash Rackets Association of the Philippines president Romy Ribano, a former POC secretary-general, said he has the experience to back up his candidacy for treasurer with a rich background as a corporate executive. Tamayo’s son Jai, a wushu practitioner, said his father’s passion for sports is what drives him to work for the development of Filipino athletes. Calzado said Tamayo’s brainchild, the Tribal Games, is a milestone project in Philippine sports.

The candidates for first vice president Manny Lopez and Joey Romasanta were convincing in their delivery. Lopez, as a reelectionist candidate, spoke about his achievements in the last four years, including the establishment of the Athletes Commission, the elevation of seven NSAs to regular General Assembly status and the successful participation of the Philippine delegation in the London Olympics where he was chef de mission. Lopez vowed to uphold the selfless dedication that his father Mel showed as former ABAP president and PSC chairman. Romasanta said he never aspired for a POC position in eight years with the organization until now. He said his experience as a corporate executive will go a long way in professionalizing the administration of the POC with a planned approach. Romasanta vowed to work for the upgrading of the Filipino athlete’s performance to Asian Games standards and warned that if nothing is done now, the Philippines could slide to seventh place in the Southeast Asian Games. He ended his talk with a touching endorsement from the late President Cory Aquino on his resignation as Project Gintong Alay director several years ago.

Dumuk took up the cudgels for Carrasco and disclosed his professional qualifications. He said Carrasco’s accomplishments as president of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines are proof of his ability to perform as an effective chairman.

Finally, reelectionist POC presidential candidate Jose Cojuangco Jr. spoke. He said the IOC has warned the POC that any form of government intervention in the conduct of the Nov. 30 polls may lead to a suspension similar to the fate that recently befell Kuwait. The Equestrian Association of the Philippines president said he hopes to continue the close cooperation with the PSC, headed by Richie Garcia, in staging meaningful projects like Batang Pinoy and the Philippine National Games.

“I don’t admit we’re failures,” said Cojuangco. “We’ve been successful. International organizations have honored us with respect because of our achievements. We’ll continue the program of promoting sports science and technology. We’ve already gotten 70 percent of the funding required to start a two-year total physical fitness program with an expert coming in from the US to supervise a course for 150 chosen athletes from different NSAs. The program will touch on nutrition, conditioning, strength, stamina, skills and mental toughness. We’ve noticed that our athletes tend to lose steam in the homestretch and we’ll address that. The world’s best athletes show no more than seven percent body fat – we saw how lean the Olympic champions were in London. Our targets are to perform well in the Asian Youth and Southeast Asian Games next year and the Youth Olympics and Asian Games in 2014.”

The POC election committee will meet on Nov. 22 to discuss pertinent issues relating to the polls. A critical issue to take up is the eligibility of Go Teng Kok to run for president. There is a threat to disrupt the electoral proceedings with the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) and if it happens, all hell could break loose. The IOC isn’t likely to tolerate this form of government intervention.