Mayor Bambol Tolentino, as many had anticipated, secured a fresh four-year term as president, with his entire “Working Team” dominating the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) elections on Friday at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Parañaque City.
“The General Assembly has spoken,” said Tolentino, who earned 45 votes, representing 75 percent of the 61 voting members of the POC.
His opponent, baseball head Chito Loyzaga, received 15 votes in an election that was nearly disrupted after a group opposing Tolentino filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) to halt the election, which is held once every four years.
The TRO, filed by self-withdrawn second vice presidential candidate Robert Bachmann (wushu) in a Pasig City court, never materialized, allowing the election to proceed without delay.
“I think performance was the basis [of the landslide victory],” Tolentino, 60, told reporters after the election, which was supervised by Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV, with Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo and Letran-Calamba Rector and President Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, OP, as members.
Basketball’s Al Panlilio ran unopposed, earning 53 votes, while his fellow “Working Team” member Rep. Richard Gomez triumphed in the race for second vice president, defeating skateboarding’s Carl Sambrano, 37-22.
Dr. Jose Raul Canlas (surfing) was also unopposed as treasurer, securing 54 votes. Don Caringal (volleyball) clinched 47 votes, significantly outperforming Rod Roque, who garnered just 12 votes for the “Working Team.”
Opposition candidates from the “Together in Excellence” team, led by Bachmann, failed to mount any serious challenge, and the proceedings concluded in just three hours.
“It’s not for me, but for the country, for the POC, and for our athletes,” Tolentino, head of PhilCycling, said, with national coaches for road cycling present to show their full support. “For the athletes, athletes, athletes…”
Of the 61 voters, 58 were from national sports associations, two were from the Athletes Commission, and one was from International Olympic Committee representative Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski.
Rugby was notably absent from the elections.
