POC candidates to be ! "
The three- man election committee headed by former Rep. Victorico (Concoy) Chaves will meet on Monday to finalize the list of candidates for POC positions with at least three eligibility issues to resolve.
Chaves and election committee members Ricky Palou of Ateneo and Bro. Bernard Oca of De La Salle University will convene with POC secretarygeneral Steve Hontiveros at the L’Opera restaurant in the Fort to decide the qualified candidates for the Nov. 30 polls.
The deadline for the filing of candidacy fell last Oct. 26 with 19 submitting certificates. “Anybody can file but it’s up to the election committee to confirm who’s qualified to run,” said POC spokesman Joey Romasanta. “We’re now past the deadline so the election committee has taken jurisdiction over all matters related to the elections.”
Submitting certificates of candidacy were Monico Puentevella of weightlifting and Tom Carrasco of triathlon for chairman, Jose Cojuangco Jr. of equestrian and Go Teng Kok of athletics for president, Romasanta of karatedo and Manny Lopez of handball for first vice president, Jeff Tamayo of soft tennis and Mayor Abraham (Bambol) Tolentino of chess for second vice president, Romy Ribano of squash and Julian Camacho of wushu for treasurer, Prospero (Butch) Pichay of chess and Godofredo Galindez of golf for auditor and for executive board member, Dave Carter of judo, Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics, Generoso Dungo of volleyball, Hector Navasero of baseball, Victor Africa of fencing, Jonne Go of canoe- kayak and Ernesto Echauz of sailing.
Seeking reelection are Puentevella as chairman, Cojuangco as president, Lopez as first vice president, Camacho as treasurer and Carter as executive board member. Tamayo now serves as executive board member and is running for second vice president. There are seven candidates for four spots as executive board member. According to Romasanta, Mark Joseph of aquatics is relinquishing his position as executive board member to give way to Carrion.
The three eligibility issues to resolve involve Go, Tolentino and Dungo. Go was declared persona-non-grata by the POC General Assembly and stripped of recognition as Patafa and karatedo president through expulsion. Go, however, sought redress from the courts and secured a Supreme Court order ruling his expulsion as without due process. Tolentino filed his candidacy as secretary-general of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) but Pichay, who is NCFP president, is running for auditor. Under POC rules, an NSA may be represented in the elections by only one candidate. Dungo has been Philippine Volleyball Federation president for a year and 10 months but the qualifying rule stipulates a term of duty of at least two years. If Go is cleared to retain his position as Philippine Karatedo Federation (PKF) president, it will cloud the candidacy of Romasanta who assumed the position with Go’s expulsion.
Aligned with Cojuangco in a coalition ticket are Carrasco, Romasanta, Tamayo, Camacho, Pichay, Carter, Echauz, Go and Carrion. The situation involving Tolentino, also a Cojuangco ally, will be resolved by the election committee.
“Throughout his previous terms, Cong. Peping has tried to reach out to NSA officials identified with Cito ( Dayrit), not for political reasons but in the spirit of harmony,” said Romasanta. “For instance, Romy (Ribano) was offered to be chef de mission at the Asian Indoor Games but he declined. Benjie (Ramos) of rowing was invited to be deputy secretary-general in 2008 but he also declined. Cong. Peping recognizes the competence of NSA officials and that’s why he reached out to Romy, Benjie, Judes (Echauz), Tom (Carrasco) and Toto (Africa) among others.”
Romasanta said as a candidate, he isn’t able to comment on whether or not Go is qualified to run. “Cong. Concoy is a lawyer so he should know how to address the issue,” he said. “I understand no official copy of the Supreme Court ruling has been received by the POC.”
Chaves confirmed that the POC has not received a copy of the Supreme Court ruling. “I haven’t seen it,” he said. “This is an issue that will be resolved by the election committee on Monday. I am aware of the General Assembly resolution declaring Go persona-non-grata and expelling him from the POC. We will take up the facts of the matter and come up with a decision.”
There are 43 voters in the polls. The designated NSA representatives authorized to vote will be the president or secretary- general or a vice president duly certified by the president in writing and attested by the secretary-general. Voting registration will take place between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 30. The first voting will be held from 1:30-2:30 p.m. A second voting will immediately follow if necessary. The candidates will be elected by secret ballot. The candidates who garner the majority of the valid votes cast will be declared the winners. The four executive board members will be elected on the basis of the four highest votes among the candidates. If there is a tie for the fourth position, a second balloting will be conducted.