TRO denied: Peping assured of 4th term

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee will push through with its elections today with Jose “Peping” Cojuangco practically assured of a fourth term as head of the local Olympic body.

The holding of this year’s elections got the green light yesterday after Pasig City Presiding Judge Elma Rafallo-Lingan denied the granting of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) sought by the group of boxing chief Ricky Vargas.

In a seven-page decision, the court ruled that the plaintiffs, in this case Vargas and cycling head Rep. Abraham Tolentino, failed to establish that their case, stemming from the disqualification of the two sports leaders, was an exceptional case.

“Plaintiffs, nonetheless, failed to show that theirs is an exceptional case. Verily, without meaning to belittle plaintiffs’ cause, this Court does not find the present case exceptional for a TRO to issue,” said the court ruling.

“Wherefore, the prayer for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order is hereby DENIED,” added the decision.

Vargas welcomed the court decision and called on those seeking changes in the POC to continue working for it. He said since the court has yet to finally resolve the issue on “active membership,” the battle is not all lost yet.

“We received the order of the court denying our application for Temporary Restraining Order on the POC elections. In the same order, the court set hearings for Dec. 9 and 16, 2016 for the determination of the rightful definition of the term ‘active membership’ which is the bone of contention in this case. Ergo, the issue has not been settled with finality,” he said.

“We will await the resolution of this case. We fought on the principle of change and we continue to bat for it. If you want change let your votes signify change. The Filipino athlete deserves no less. I thank everyone who joined us in this journey. Rest assured we will continue to champion the rights and values we believe in. Mabuhay ang Atletang Pilipino!” Vargas said.

Cojuangco will thus run unopposed when the elections are held this noon at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club. But based on POC rules, he would still need the vote of the majority of the 43 qualified voters.

There is no candidate for chairman this year, and Cojuangco said it will be up to the General Assembly to decide later on regarding the post of chairman.

Jose Romasanta of volleyball will be challenged by Rep. Alfred Benitez of badminton for the post of first vice president; Col. Jeff Tamayo of soft tennis will be challenged by Gen. Lucas Managuelod of Muay Thai for second vice president; and Julian Camacho of wushu will face Sonny Barrios of basketball for the post of treasurer.

Jonee Go of canoe-kayak will run unopposed as auditor while those seeking posts as board members are Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics, Clint Aranas of archery, Robert Mananquil of billiards and Rep. Prospero Pichay of chess.

A candidate needs majority of the 43 votes to win.

“Masaya ako (I’m happy). Nabunutan ako ng tinik (I feel relieved),” said Cojuangco after hearing word that the court had ruled against the issuance of the TRO.

Cojuangco is seeking his fourth four-year term as POC president. He became POC president by acclamation in 2008, beat the late Arturo Macapagal of shooting in a very close elections in 2008 and then ran unopposed in 2012.

After everything that’s been hurled against him the past couple of weeks, the 82-year-old ex-congressman from Tarlac said yesterday he’s burying the hatchet.

“What’s important now is the healing.  We must unite again to put our objective which is to improve Philippine sports. Para gumanda ulit takbo (So, it will run smoothly),” said Cojuangco.

“I will be the one to hope that we can work together. Tapos na ang labanan (The battle is over). Ang gusto ko mangyari ay bumalik ang dating samahan namin (What I want is to restore the old harmony),” he added.

“The court’s denial of our application for restraining order is of course most disappointing. It would have opened up much needed space and possibilities for a winning approach to this whole saga,” said Vargas’ spokesman, Chito Salud.

“A TRO would have allowed all of us to step back, to agree and focus on finding solutions based on a singular criterion, namely what action would best serve our athletes’ overall welfare. If we were able to come together on that basis, we were confident that we wouldn’t need to go back to the courts to help us answer that question,” he added.

“Mr. Vargas and Cong. Tolentino were driven by a sincere desire to provide an alternative approach to improving our sports program. They commit to continue their quest to empower our athletes and uplift Philippine sports,” said Salud.

The POC election committee headed by Frank Elizalde disqualified Vargas from running as POC president and Tolentino as chairman due to their failure to meet the requirement on being an “active member” of the General Assembly.

Vargas’ group argued that the ruling was vague and tried to make it appear that this was an exceptional case, and that the election committee “acted in bad faith” and gave left them at a “distinct disadvantage.”

The POC countered that the rule on being an active member has been around, observed and followed by the General Assembly since its amendment in 1999, and that the rules were in effect during the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Atty. Ramon Malinao of the POC told The STAR that the simple fact that previous candidate for chairman and president made sure that they met the requirement on being an active member meant that the rule was in effect, making this latest case not an exceptional case.