The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) finally stepped in and issued guidelines on how the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) can get back on its feet following a stormy turn of events the past couple of weeks.

In a joint statement made public right after the special board meeting yesterday, IOC director of Olympic Solidarity and National Olympic Committee Relations James Macleod and OCA director general Hussain Al-Musallam raised two crucial points that will pave the way for the staging of peaceful and orderly elections.

First, the IOC and OCA declared that all resignations made during the extraordinary general assembly last week are not official unless the POC executive council furnishes them a copy of the resignation letter.

So far, only former POC president Ricky Vargas and board member Clint Aranas have submitted resignation letters, making their respective positions vacant in the upcoming special elections.

POC chairman Abraham Tolentino also expressed his willingness to step down to challenge Aranas for the POC presidency, but has yet to formally come up with a resignation letter, while first vice president Joey Romasanta, auditor Jonne Go and board member Cynthia Carrion also retain their respective posts pending the submission of their letters.

Romasanta will remain as the acting POC president.

As soon as the resignations have been clarified, the IOC and OCA expect the POC board to call for an extraordinary general assembly to update the membership on the status of the Olympic council and fill the vacant positions.

Then, the POC executive board will convene anew to lay down the groundwork for the staging of the special elections like setting the date and venue, forming an election panel and reviewing the list of voting members.

### The IOC and OCA are our mother organizations.

Once everything has been done, another extraordinary general assembly will be called for the special elections. The IOC and OCA said they would send an observer to ensure the smooth and orderly conduct of the polls.

"In the meantime, the POC should not take further unilateral decision or action without prior consultation with the IOC and OCA," said Macleod and Al-Musallam, reminding the POC not to take unilateral decision or action without informing them.

"We sincerely hope that the current situation can be soon clarified and rectified so that the POC can really focus on its mission and activities in the interest of the Olympic Movement and athletes in the Philippines."

Romasanta expressed gratitude to the IOC for stepping in to define its position on the leadership squabble that has been hampering the POC since it found out that Vargas' connection with the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) Foundation, Inc., a body that wants to take over the organization of the 30th SEA Games without approval from the POC executive board.

Although Vargas already stepped down after the POC board pressed him for explanations, Tolentino and his allies took the cudgels and called for special elections in which they set the time, venue and the composition of elections committee without approval of the POC.

Tolentino, the cycling chief, scheduled the elections on Friday at the Golden Bay Restaurant with former Commission on Elections commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, jiu-jitsu secretary general Ferdie Agustin and POC legal counsel Alberto Agra as members of the elections panel.

Larrazabal is said to be a close associate of Tolentino after serving as member of the board of trustees of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines while Vargas was the one who appointed Agra to the Olympic council.

"The IOC and OCA are our mother organizations. We have to follow their instructions to the letter to make sure that we won't run the risk of being suspended from the IOC's roster of national Olympic committees," said Romasanta, an old hand in Philippine sports.