After Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Robert Aventajado declared his candidacy for presidency the other day, Celso Dayrit announced his decision to similarly join the derby.
Incumbent president Jose (Peping) Cojuangco Jr. hinted he would seek another term sometime last year but has not confirmed a bid for reelection. His spokesman Joey Romasanta said recently there are more pressing matters to attend to, such as the Olympics, and personal ambitions shouldn’t get in the way of preparing for the coming Beijing Games.
While Aventajado said he’s hoping Cojuangco will spearhead his ticket as chairman, Dayrit said Art Macapagal has agreed to join forces.
Together, Dayrit and Macapagal drew up a six-point agenda of reforms, circulating it to media yesterday.
Dayrit said last year, he was approached by two of Cojuangco’s lieutenants suggesting a tie-up for the next elections. He couldn’t be sure if the suggestion had Cojuangco’s go-signal. The proposal was for Dayrit to run for chairman and Cojuangco, for reelection.
Dayrit said there is a possibility that the POC Constitution and By-Laws will be amended with one of the proposed provisions the elevation of the immediate past president to chairman emeritus. If the provision is approved, it will guarantee Cojuangco a seat in the Board, whether or not he runs for reelection.
“I believe we can all work as a team,” said Dayrit. “The POC needs everybody’s help. You don’t need to be a member of the Board to serve. There are very important positions where one can contribute in a big way. For instance, in our six-point agenda, we are pushing for the establishment of a Philippine Business Sports Foundation which will be our version of the PBSP (Philippine Business for Social Progress). It’s similar to the German model where the private sector is mobilized to aid sports. In our version, the donors will actively manage the funds they contribute through the foundation and will be real partners of the POC. Surely, there will be opportunities for those who love sports to serve in the foundation.”
Dayrit said he will reach out to Aventajado and find out how they can work for the common good.
“Robert’s project, the Philippine Olympic Festival, can be improved,” he said. “I think it’s short-lived and I know they’re experiencing difficulty getting sponsors to continue it. It also doesn’t seem right that athletes pay to participate. With the revival of the Philippine National Games (PNG), I’m not sure how the Festival will interface.”
Dayrit said he supports the return of the PNG on a once-in-two-years basis.
“We should rationalize and synergize all government-funded and POC-sanctioned national sports competitions to promote cost efficiency and performance-driven goals,” continued Dayrit. “I don’t think we should organize the PNG every year because athletes will take winning lightly and not prepare as hard. Some countries organize their national games once in four years but as a developing country, once in two years is just right.”
Dayrit stressed that the six-point agenda is meant to raise the level of campaigning to a positive and high level.
“We don’t want any mud-slinging or criticizing mistakes,” said Dayrit. “All we want is to enumerate the things the POC must do to orchestrate a program where Philippine sports is able to progress and develop.”
Dayrit said aspiring to regain the presidency is not a case of personal ambition.
“I’ve had the experience of serving as president before,” he went on. “This is not an obsession. I just think there are things that need to be changed, reforms to be made. And because of my experience, I believe I can do something positive with regard to reforms and changes.”
Dayrit said he hasn’t heard if POC first vice president and Rep. Monico Puentevella will also run for the presidency.
“Monico, like Robert, is valuable to the POC,” said Dayrit. “I’m not sure what his plans are. I was told he’s thinking of running for mayor of Bacolod City in 2010. Our program will look at an Olympic gold program on a long-term basis, aimed at the 2012 London Olympics and beyond. We hope to present the program to the PSC as our partner.”
Dayrit said his bid is being backed up by a solid group of NSA presidents.
“The group that has supported me ever since is intact and we’ve added Go Teng Kok’s team,” he said. “We also have new people with us. Robert is counting on the support of the 17 NSAs that are represented in the Olympic Festival but not all of them are in his camp.”
How the country performs in the Beijing Olympics will make a difference in the choice of the next POC president. A gold medal will no doubt favor the incumbent while a poor showing will likely pave the way for new hope from a new president.