Sports probe moved

Senate gives way to hearing on TRO on POC election, asks parties to give position papers

MANILA—They all came prepared and dressed for the occasion.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez was in blue coat and tie, Commissioner Ramon “El Presidente” Fernandez was in his usual barong tagalog. Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (Abap) officials were in their best Sunday clothes as they got ready for a sports-related inquiry in the Senate.

But they all have to wait for another day as committee on sports chairman Sen. Manny Pacquiao cancelled the 10 a.m. meeting to give way to the plea of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) officials to reschedule the hearing since they were preparing for another hearing, which was on the appeal of Ricky Vargas for the courts to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and hold the scheduled election on Nov. 25.

“But they (POC) officials never came. It was them who asked for the postponement of the senate inquiry because they wanted to attend the hearing. But it was only their lawyers who came and argued. No POC official went there to listen or testify in the proceedings,” Abap Executive Director Ed Picson told Sun.Star Cebu.

TRO

The TRO hearing was scheduled at 2 p.m. yesterday at the sala of Judge Elma M. Rafallo-Lingan of Branch 159 of Pasig RTC, which was done after an hour and 30 minutes of legal arguments.

After both sides delivered their oral arguments, Judge Rafallo-Lingan gave both parties until office hours today to present their position papers.

The judge is expected to render her decision on whether to grant or not the TRO that was sought by Vargas, who was running but got kayoed by technicalities by the POC committee on election.

“They are just prolonging their agony. Clearly, this is a kind of manipulation on the part of POC to buy more time and probably do something about the allegations. But they are just prolonging their misery,” Commissioner Fernandez said.

Revelation

Fernandez was the first person to break alleged anomalies of the POC— from the unliquidated financial assistance—during the time of former PSC board, led by chairman Ritchie Garcia— which reached more than P129 million, to the alleged financial support given by the International Olympic Committee Solidarity Committee to the different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that includes the Philippines.

The POC, however, did not give its comments on the postponement of the hearing.

The inquiry would not center on the unliquidated financial assistance received by the POC from the PSC, but the senators would also like to hear as well on other alleged corruption and manipulation of rules and regulations that led to the disqualification of Vargas and his runningmate Rep. Abraham Tolentino (Cavite), who is also running for the chairmanship because they failed to attend general assemblies.