Al Panlilio and Raul Canlas still have the support of Chito Loyzaga despite rallying behind the candidacy of Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) elections on 29 November.

Loyzaga said he didn’t field a candidate to run against Panlilio and Canlas as he knows that they have what it takes to be given a four-year term in the POC executive board.

Panlilio, the basketball chief who also leads Philippine sports biggest benefactor in the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation, is seeking a fresh term as POC first vice president while Canlas is aiming to become the POC treasurer.

They were committed to support the candidacy of incumbent POC chief Tolentino but his challenger in the presidential race, Loyzaga, also included them in his ticket that created confusion among the members of the 59-man POC general assembly.

In a statement, Panlilio asserted that his support belongs to Tolentino.

“I’m so surprised to see my name on their list because when he (Loyzaga) called me, he just told me that they would only leave the first vice president blank and same thing with Doc Canlas’s treasurer position,” Panlilio said.

“It is now confusing, we did not tell them to include our names in their ticket.”

But Loyzaga clarified that he informed both Panlilio and Canlas that they will be adopting their candidacies.

“Prior to the release of our media statement and promotional materials, we were in communication with both Panlilio and Canlas, informing them that we would be adopting their candidacies. This approach aligns with election rules and is not against any regulations,” Loyzaga said in a statement sent to DAILY TRIBUNE on Saturday.

Loyzaga, the former Philippine Basketball Association superstar who also heads the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, reiterated that they didn’t include Panlilio and Canlas in the Letters of Candidacy that his group submitted to the POC commission on elections headed by Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV with Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion and Olivia “Bong” Coo as members.

“It is important to note that the official records for the POC election are the candidacy documents submitted to the POC Administration and Election Commission. Press releases, such as ours, serve the purpose of informing and promoting candidates to all national sports associations,” Loyzaga said, adding that he doesn’t see any issue including the names of Panlilio and Canlas in their list of candidates.

“The election process is structured to ensure fairness by having voters choose candidates for specific positions through a secret ballot. Each vote is cast individually, not as part of a group or slate, allowing every candidate to be chosen based on their merits.”