POC polls set in November

With the Paris Olympics already in the books, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is set to hold its election of officers on 29 November.

In a meeting last Tuesday, the POC executive council, headed by president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, confirmed the staging of the polls that will take place on the last Friday of November of every Olympic year in accordance to the constitution of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Yes, the elections will push through on the last Friday of November,” the source, a senior sports official, told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Tolentino has yet to formally declare his intention to run but sideliners believe that he will throw his hat into the political arena anew to extend his term that started in 2019.

Under Tolentino’s watch, the Filipinos experienced victories in the international arena, including Hidilyn Diaz’s landmark gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics and Carlos Yulo’s twin mints in the Paris Summer Games.

He was also on top when the Filipinos lifted the overall title in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019 and when they won their most number of gold medals in any biennial meet held outside the country in the Cambodia Games in 2023.

The source, however, stressed that they still have to iron out which constitution they are going to use in the coming elections.

“Right now, we have yet to decide which to use between the old constitution and the amended constitution,” the source stressed.

Key changes have been made in the POC charter that was already ratified by the POC general assembly and approved by the IOC as early as last January.

Topping the revisions are the gender equality among members of the POC executive board, putting an age limit of up to 75 years old for all POC leaders and imposing a maximum of three terms among the officers.

But the charter has yet to be approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

“That’s the problem; it’s not yet approved by the SEC,” the source said.

“That’s why we will meet again in September to resolve which constitution we’re going to use. At any rate, the elections will push through in November and we’re looking forward to choosing the right POC leaders.”