More of the same

It wasn’t totally unexpected that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ruled to disqualify the candidacy of Ricky Vargas for president in the Nov. 25 POC elections. Vargas threw his hat in the POC derby to challenge the incumbent Jose Cojuangco, Jr. who is seeking a fourth consecutive four-year term at the helm.

Vargas, 64, knew the odds were against him from the start. First, the COMELEC was formed by POC secretary-general Steve Hontiveros. In a signed document, COMELEC chairman Francisco Elizalde and members Rep. Conrad Estrella and Br. Bernard Oca admitted the three-man team was organized by Hontiveros. Second, the rules on the eligibility of candidates for POC chairman and president may be interpreted to suit a favored party. And third, most NSA presidents owe a debt of gratitude to Cojuangco for their positions, making it politically difficult to back anyone who decides to challenge the man on top. The electorate is like a loaded dice.

Vargas has served as ABAP president the last eight years. Under his term, the ABAP has shone brightly with its achievements on the international stage. At the last Southeast Asian Games, ABAP pitched a perfect 100 percent with 10 fighters coming home with 10 medals. Vargas is also a member of the Asian Boxing Confederation executive committee, an influential regional affiliate of AIBA.

Vargas’ relationship with PLDT chairman and president Manny V. Pangilinan goes back a long way. They’re close allies in business and sports. Vargas is an executive of both PLDT and First Pacific and used to be president of Maynilad Water. But in filing his candidacy for POC president last Monday, Vargas said he’s willing to give up all his business positions for the chance to make a difference in Philippine sports. It’s a mission that’s close to the heart of the Vargas family and something he hopes to undertake as a legacy tribute to his grandfather Jorge, the country’s first IOC member and former president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation, the POC’s precursor.

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Vargas’ candidacy has MVP’s blessings. MVP’s heart for sports is well-known. Under his personal foundation, he has backed up at least eight NSAs with financial and logistical support. For Vargas to succeed as POC president, MVP must give his 100 percent support and that’s been assured.

Vargas said he decided to file his candidacy because of a nationwide clamor for change, a trending sentiment carried over by President Duterte’s election last May. The popular sentiment is the leadership in Philippine sports should be more dynamic, more progressive, more collaborative, more productive and more relevant to the times. That leadership is vested in the POC presidency. The hitch is the POC president isn’t elected by the public at large. He’s elected by the POC General Assembly most of whose members are beholden to the president. If the POC voters couldn’t care less about the public and popular sentiments, they’ll choose the president who puts bread on their table. Whether that’s the right thing to do or not is inconsequential in the voting process.

Cojuangco has been the POC president since 2004 and he’s 82. He’s gunning for another four years in office to extend his run to 16 years. In the IOC, members are required to retire at 80 – the limit used to be 75 and the president is voted to one term of eight years with an extension of four years if reelected or a maximum period of 12 years. In the POC, there are no age or term limits.

Vargas said he’ll abide by how the General Assembly votes. If the vote reveals that the majority is satisfied with the Philippines’ performance in the last 12 years, then, extend the incumbent’s term. But if the vote shows that the majority isn’t satisfied and wants a change, then vote for the alternative.

The problem is with the COMELEC’s recent ruling, there is no alternative. Vargas has been disqualified because he failed to personally attend more than half of the 12 General Assembly meetings over the last two years. In the COMELEC’s interpretation of the eligibility rule, attendance must be personal. Vargas’ spokesman Chito Salud, a lawyer and former PBA commissioner, said under the rules, active participation could mean representation of the NSA without necessarily requiring the president to show up. A representative has to be duly authorized in writing by the NSA and is counted in establishing quorum for the meeting. So for all intents and purposes, the POC acknowledges the attendance of the NSA in General Assembly meetings with or without the president’s personal appearance on condition the representation is authorized.

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It’s an issue of technicality and the COMELEC’s interpretation takes away the opportunity for voters to choose an alternative. ABAP secretary-general Patrick Gregorio verbally protested the disqualification on the floor of the General Assembly meeting last Wednesday. Gregorio said an option is to go all the way and fight it out for the sake of democracy and Philippine sports.

“This could be a revival of the battle between the BAP and SBP all over again,” said Gregorio who once served as SBP executive director and bears the scars of the long-running conflict eventually resolved to anoint SBP as the NSA for basketball. “We are now studying what options are available. We know the protest will be heard by the COMELEC then it could go to a vote of the POC Executive Board then the General Assembly then to Lausanne before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This could be bloody.”

Rep. Bambol Tolentino’s candidacy for POC chairman was also thumbed down by the COMELEC for the same reason. Yet, Tolentino pointed out there’s no doubt his cycling NSA is an active participant in sporting events as it delivered the only gold in BMX at the last Asian Games. If the NSAs headed by Vargas and Tolentino are making the country proud with their performance overseas, how can they now be disqualified for being candidates in the coming POC polls because of lack of active participation?

Sports is everybody’s business – not just the athletes, coaches, officials and stakeholders but also the fans. In sporting competitions, everyone deserves a fair shake. It’s the same principle in sporting elections, everyone also deserves a fair shake.