Our previous piece about the leadership crisis in karate prompted Philippine Olympic Committee membership committee chairman Bob Bachmann to give this corner a call.

He did not dispute the analyses we presented but claimed it was a light-bulb moment for him to be able to fix the long and nagging dispute in karatedo.

According to Bachmann, he realized that the problem could be resolved by having an open heart and an open mind. He agreed on what we said that clean and honest intention that is free from any pressure was a surefire way to fix the problem.

So, what he did was revisit the constitution and by-laws of Karate Pilipinas (KP). He claimed shock seeing Ricky Lim’s term as president will not end in 2022 as he was told, and not 2020 as what Lim, son of former karate boss Pocholo Veguillas, also claimed in our previous conversation.

Bachmann said with Lim’s term ending this year, the battle for legitimacy between KP and Philippine Karate Federation (PKF)-NSA can now be resolved quickly.

KP will get the POC recognition it has been longing for and, on the other hand, legitimate members of PKF-NSA will not be disenfranchised with KP being told to welcome rivals from the other group with open arms.

Then, the voter’s list will be reviewed for a unified election as soon as Lim’s term ends in September.

There were still some personal matters that need to be ironed out.

Bachmann and Lim used to be friends. In fact, they were together for the campaign of Ricky Vargas for the POC presidency last year. They were seen talking during the one-year countdown for the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in Clark last year.

Bachmann said Lim had badmouthed him while the KP head claimed confused on why the squash chief suddenly turned cold on him.

Then, comes Lim’s close associate, Philippine Sports commissioner Ramon Fernandez who bashed Bachmann on social media for his handling of the karate issue.

“Me and Bob were good friends to begin with,” he said. “But my close ties with his critic, Commissioner Fernandez, is making it hard for him to talk to me.”

“I’m open to talk to him and be the bridge so he can patch things up with commissioner Mon. I hope we can sit down and end this problem,” Lim said.

When I told Bachmann about it, he was reluctant.

“Okay, set it and I’ll be there,” he finally said.

The meeting is yet to happen as the KP chief is still in Iloilo City for the Batang Pinoy, but this early, I’m already congratulating Bachmann and Lim for coming to terms and showing signs that they are ready for peace in one part of Philippine sports.