P.O.C. ELECTION BODY DENIES DQ PROTESTS
THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) election committee denied all five disqualification protests filed by the group of presidential candidate Clint Aranas against incumbent POC head Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. The decision was penned in an eight-page document signed on Saturday by election committee chairman Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV and members University of the Philippines president Atty. Danilo Concepcion and former International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Francisco Elizalde.
The committee dismissed the protests for “lack of merit.”
“All official protests filed against [ Tom] Carrasco, [Abraham] Tolentino, [Cynthia] Carrion- Norton, [ Dr. Raul] Canlas and [Dave] Carter are denied in their entirety for the lack of merit,” the decision said. “Accordingly, the certified list of candidates for the 2020 POC elections last October is now deemed final.”
Aranas’s party sought to disqualify Tolentino, Carrion (gymnastics, candidate for treasurer) and Tom Carrasco (triathlon, chairman) for receiving salaries as officials of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing
Committee (Phisgoc) during the hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games last December.
The protest bordered on Aranas’s group’s claim that receiving emoluments are a clear violation of International Olympic Committee rules. The group also protested Carter for his judo association’s suspended registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission, while Canlas allegedly didn’t complete terms rules as a national sports association top official.
The committee, Kalaw said, found the protests insufficient.
Tolentino, who is seeking a full term as POC president, commended the decision of the election committee, saying it is “equitable.”
“Bereft with merit, these allegations are purely to destroy character and reputation putting anomalous accusation in the eyes and ears of the innocent stakeholders,” Tolentino said in a text message. “Little did they know that they are creating chaos not only inside the POC but also to naked eye of the public,”
“There is nothing in the [POC] bylaws that mention anything about their grounds for disqualification. All false, nothing true” Tolentino said.
“The truth shall set you free,” he added. Aranas, meanwhile, said he respected the decision of the election committee.
“I will respect their decision and we’re not going to appeal anymore. If that’s their wisdom, I will respect them,” Aranas said.
The POC elections are set this Friday at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Parañaque City. It will be a face-to-face secret balloting exercise.
There are 54 voters—51 national sports associations, Athletes Commission representatives Hidilyn Diaz and Jhessie Lacuna and IOC Representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-jaworski.