Tolentino, Panlilio clinch top POC posts

MANILA, Philippines — Abraham Tolentino of cycling received a fresh four-year mandate as Philippine Olympic Committee president after beating Chito Loyzaga of baseball in elections held at the East Ocean Palace in Parañaque yesterday.

The PhilCycling chief and Tagaytay City mayor won convincingly after getting 45 votes against Loyzaga’s 15 with one abstention among 61 qualified voters.

It will be the third tour of duty for Tolentino as chief of the country’s Olympic body after assuming the post in 2019 when he took over the unfinished term of boxing’s Ricky Vargas following a special election, and from 2021 to 2024 when he won the regular elections.

Tolentino’s victory was the icing on the cake as his party mates all won positions at stake with basketball’s Al Panlilio and surfing’s Jose Raul Canlas seizing the posts of first vice president and treasurer, respectively, unopposed.

Tolentino will serve a new four-year term under the new Constitution and by-laws by the POC.

“The general assembly has spoken,” said Tolentino, who shook hands and hugged Loyzaga after the quick counting of votes in the election that was handled by a three-member electoral panel chaired by lawyer Teodoro Kalaw IV.

“I think the performance speaks for itself,” he added.

Tolentino said he ran not for the position but to continue the gains that the country achieved during his term when the proud, sports-loving nation captured a historic Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021 courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and two more in Paris just last August thanks to gymnast Carlos Yulo.

“We will continue what we’ve started. The platform is to sustain, this is more for athletes and athletes and athletes,” he said.

Also elected into the POC were Richard Gomez (second vice president), Don Caringal (auditor), and wrestling’s Alvin Aguilar, jiu-jitsu’s Ferdie Agustin, canoe-kayak’s Len Escollante, fencing’s Leah Gonzales and judo’s Ali Sulit as executive board members.