Elecom confident of smooth POC polls


At a glance

  • Members of the electoral commission (elecom) tasked to oversee the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) polls on Nov. 29 are confident they can get a unanimous agreement on the cases raised during the clarificatory meeting on all involved parties held last Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Century Park Hotel.


Members of the electoral commission (elecom) tasked to oversee the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) polls on Nov. 29 are confident they can get a unanimous agreement on the cases raised during the clarificatory meeting on all involved parties held last Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the Century Park Hotel.

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Elecom members, from left, Atty. Teodoro Kalaw, PSC Commissioner Bong Coo, and Fr. Nap Encarnacion. (From Atty. Teodoro Kalaw)

The meeting was held in order to thresh out crucial matters concerning the elections, particularly the qualifications of those seeking positions in the POC executive board.

“I think (this meeting) has greatly clarified matters,” said Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV, chairman of the electoral commission. “We expect to have ruling on all of these protests soon after we deliberate. The sooner, the better.”

Four cases were raised during the hearing that include the protest filed by wrestling official Alvin Aguilar against presidential aspirant Chito Loyzaga of baseball asserting the latter did not meet the active membership requirement based on his attendance on POC general assembly meetings.

The group of Robert Bachmann of squash and other national sports association officials also filed a protest against incumbent POC chief Bambol Tolentino citing alleged failure to demonstrate accountability and transparency on financial report submissions.

Other protests include the qualification kurash’s Rommel Miranda and gymnastics’s Myrna Lao, who are running for the seats in the executive board.

The elecom gave all involved parties until this weekend to file all summations to take it all into account for their deliberation.

Aside from Kalaw and Coo, the other member of the elecom is Fr. Nap Encarnacion.

“We can’t guarantee when we will be issuing (the results of deliberation), but definitely it will be before the elections. The sooner, the better. It’s the second time I did this, and we issued it five days before the election date the last time so that shouldn’t be a problem,” Kalaw said.

Completing the list of candidates are basketball’s Al Panlilio for First Vice President; modern pentathlon’s Richard Gomez, skateboarding and roller sports’ Carl Sambrano, and Bachmann for Second VP; surfing’s Raul Canlas for Treasurer; volleyball;s Don Caringal and weightlifting’s Rod Roque for auditor.

For the five-seat executive board, candidates are Aguilar, jiu jitsu’s Ferdinand Agustin, canoe kayak’s Len Escollante, fencing’s Leah Gonzalez, judo’s Alexander Sulit, archery’s Peter Miguel, equestrian’s Steven Virata, Miranda and Yao.