POC election issue: TOLENTINO ET AL PANALO!

UMISKOR ng matinding panalo ang Team Performance sa isyu ng halalan.

Makahihinga  na nang maluwag si Philippine Olympic Committee president /Rep. Bambol Tolentino at apat pang katiket niya sa kandidatura matapos ibasura ng  POC electoral committee ang inihaing diskwalipikasyon sa kanila para sa POC polls sa darating na Biyernes  dahil sa kakulangan ng merito .

Bukod kay Tolentino, na tumatakbo bilang reeleksyunista, dinismis din ang  mga kaso nina triathlon head Tom Carrasco,  gymnastics chief Cynthia Carrion surfing honcho Raul Canlas at judo head Dave Carter.

Sina Carrasco at  Carrion ay aspirante para chairman at treasurer habang sina Canlas at Carter ay bilang Executive Board members. 

Sa pitong pahinang desisyon ng electoral committee na pinamumunuan ni   Atty. Teddy Kalaw IV, kaagapay sina UP president Danilo Concepcion at Frank Elizalde, former International Olympic Committee representative to the country, bilang miyembro..

“Our electoral committee encountered a protest with a unique interpretation beside a plain and simple understanding (of the POC election rules).  Bereft with merit, these allegations are purely to destroy the character and reputation (of our candidates) with anomalous accusations in the eyes and ears of the innocent stakeholders,”pahayag ni Tolentino  sa statement.

“The wisdom behind the decision of the committee is equitable,” ani pa incumbent POC president . “I commend these gentlemen for their wise words and candor.”

Ipinaliwanag ng electoral committee ang mga rason sa pag-dismis ng patisyong inihain ng kampo ni archery chief Atty. Clint Aranas, katunggali ni Tolentino para POC president, sa mga isyung: Allegation that  Tolentino, Carrasco, Carrion and Carter were paid by the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee for rendering services during the 30th SEA Games and their failure to disclose it to the POC, and which  also posed  a possible conflict of interest.

Binigyang- diin ng committee sa kanilang idinaos na online clarificatory hearing na ang mga alegasyon ay hindi sakop ng  POC election rules ayon sa Sections 2, 11 and 12 of Article VII of the POC by-laws.

“Plainly put, such objections seek to constitute the Committee as effectively as an adjudicator of alleged facts that go beyond the qualifications of record of the candidates object to, which will necessarily involve deliberating upon evidence beyond what normally submitted to the committee,” ayon sa kanilang paliwanag..

Kaugnay naman sa isyu kina  Carrasco at Canlas na ‘allegedly lack the time served as National Sports Association officials based on the POC charter’ ,  inihayag ng  committee ang katulad na probisyong sa Sections 11 and 12  of Article VII na  dahilan ng pag- dismis sa kanilang kaso.

Sa isyu naman kay  Carrasco, na may ‘ lengthy off-and-on stint ‘bilang Triathlon Association of the Philippines head ay ibinase  sa ‘Article 12 for the qualification as board officials, including directors, it mentions that “such individuals are either the president, secretary general or vice president at least two years or more na nagpatibay sa kanyang kwalipikasyon.

“Those protesting fail to impress to the  committee as to why a convoluted reading of this specific provision should prevail.”

Sa huling isyu ng suspension of the  Philippine Judo Federation’s registration by the Securities and Exchange Commission, binigyang- diin ng  committee na “those protesting cite no rule, precedent or controlling authority that the suspension or termination of an NSA’s corporate automatically results in the loss of POC membership.

 “Accordingly, and in view of the above considerations, the committee resolves to DENY objections against candidate Carter as to this particular issue for lack of merit.”  

Sa kabuuan ng   deliberations at desisyon , ni-resolba ng  committee na “all official protests filed against Tolentino, Carrasco, Carrion-Norton, Canlas and Carter are DENIED in their entirety for lack of merit.

“Accordingly, the certified list of candidates for the 2020 POC Regular Term Elections as issued last 31 October 2020   is now deemed final.All other requests for relief of above are hereby denied”. Go Team Performance, Go Bambol!