Elizalde to POC: Let Vargas, Tolentino run in polls

MANILA, Philippines – He said he’s totally against it, but Frank Elizalde thinks there’s no better thing to do than follow the court order.

The longtime International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines said the Philippine Olympic Committee should let Ricky Vargas and Rep. Abraham Tolentino run in Friday’s elections.

“That’s my opinion,” Elizalde told The STAR Thursday morning.

“And it’s my opinion to follow the dictates of the court although I’m totally against it. I don’t think he’s (Vargas) qualified, neither him nor Congressman Tolentino,” he said on the phone.

Deep inside, Elizalde maintains that Vargas, of boxing, and Tolentino, of cycling, are not qualified to run as POC president and chairman.

 “But the court has ordered it,” he said.

Elizalde is head of the three-man election committee put up by the POC for Friday’s elections.

It’s the same committee — except for one new member — that disqualified Vargas and Tolentino from the 2016 elections due to their failure to establish themselves as active members of the POC General Assembly.

But it’s a different case now because there’s an order from the Pasig Regional Trial Court calling Jose Cojuangco’s victory in the 2016 elections “null and void” and ordering Friday’s elections with Vargas and Tolentino as candidates.

Elizalde was expected to sit down Thursday afternoon with the two other members of the election committee — Bro. Bernie Oca of La Salle and lawyer Alberto Agra.

Elizalde hinted that there may be no need for them to vote on the matter because there’s a court order to follow.

“Tomorrow, we will have the election. And to my knowledge, they (Vargas and Tolentino) have to be included by the orders of the law,” he said.

“There is no decision to make,” said the 84-year-old sportsman or whatever he meant by that.

If they defy the court order, the POC leadership or the members of the election committee will be cited for contempt.

Elizalde won’t let that happen.

His opinion on the very volatile situation must come as a surprise to both Cojuangco and Vargas.

The boxing chief, in fact, said last Monday that the election committee being composed of the same persons except for one could lead to the same verdict — disqualification.

“You know what the answer will be. If it will be the same people to interpret (the case) then it (decision) will be the same,” said Vargas.

Apparently, he doesn’t know Elizalde too well.

It’s the court order, according to Elizalde, that made the difference this time.

“I’m just following what the judge ordered. That’s it,” he said.