On the last Friday of November, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will elect its new set of officers. There are two candidates: incumbent POC chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino of cycling and POC auditor Joaquin “Chito” Loyzaga of baseball.

It is widely believed that Tolentino has the edge. After all, he is a seasoned politician whose family is deeply entrenched in Tagaytay City politics. Under Tolentino’s term, Philippine sports reached its peak.

Filipinos rose from the ashes of the coronavirus pandemic to witness weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz win the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021. Three years later, gymnast Carlos Yulo made history by delivering two gold medals in the Paris Olympics.

In between, the country made waves in the international arena after posting memorable performances in the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi and Cambodia and the Asian Games in China, a stint that was highlighted by Gilas Pilipinas’ victory in men’s basketball after 61 years of futility.

The 60-year-old Tolentino was also at the helm when the Filipinos hosted the 30th Southeast Asian Games and the FIBA Basketball World Cup — two major international events that put the country on the world sporting map.

Simply put, Tolentino has the track record. He helped Philippine sports take a giant stride, and another four-year term will definitely allow him to do more with his hard work, dedication, leadership, and hands-on approach in running the POC.

But that doesn’t mean he will have an easy time beating Loyzaga. The 66-year-old Loyzaga is also very qualified for the position, boasting stellar credentials and solid support from both the government and the private sector.

Aside from being the eldest son of basketball legend Carlos Loyzaga, Loyzaga is a former Philippine Basketball Association superstar who played for the country’s most popular professional team, Barangay Ginebra, from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.

His most brilliant time on the hardcourt came when he bravely defended against the giants of China in the gold medal match of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, earning him the love and support of basketball-loving Filipinos.

After his basketball career, Loyzaga held a corporate position at San Miguel Corporation before being named athletic director of National University and commissioner of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

He also served as commissioner and executive director of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under chairman Ricardo “Richie” Garcia in 2010. He, however, stepped down two years later to fly to Australia to care for his ailing father.

Loyzaga eventually headed the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association and was elected POC auditor in 2020 on the ticket of, ironically, Tolentino.

More than that, Loyzaga is said to enjoy the support of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who appointed his wife, Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Mrs. Loyzaga is also a close relative of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

National Sports Association (NSA) officials, including the presidents of the federations that gifted the country its Olympic medals — Monico Puentevella of weightlifting and Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics — are said to be rallying behind him.

If he is elected, he is expected to have good synergy with the government sports agency, as he considers PSC chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann a close family friend due to the deep friendship between their legendary fathers. Also, Bachmann’s older brother, squash boss Robert Bachmann, is running with him for second vice president.

In short, Loyzaga is not a politician; he is a sportsman. He is very much qualified to run the country’s highest sports body, being a former athlete, former PSC commissioner, former collegiate sports official, and an incumbent POC and national sports association executive.

Along with these qualifications, Loyzaga does not lack for political connections, as he has ironclad relationships with Malacañang, the PSC, the NSAs, and the private sector, which is expected to fund some of the plans and programs of the local Olympic movement.

With Loyzaga formally accepting the challenge to face Tolentino in the POC polls, the coming years will be very exciting for Philippine sports.

Tolentino may be the leader who steered Philippine sports to greater heights, but Loyzaga will definitely put up a good fight with his experience, credentials, and strong relationships with athletes, coaches, sports officials, sponsors, and other stakeholders.

Yes, Philippine sports is in its golden era with the emergence of athletes like Diaz, Yulo, Ernest John Obiena, Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam.

The 59-man POC general assembly should not waste this opportunity. They should choose the leader who can truly help