Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino keeps winning.

After leading the country to three Olympic gold medals, Tolentino scored yet another major victory when he secured a fresh four-year term as Philippine Olympic Committee president following a landslide win over Joaquin “Chito” Loyzaga in the election of officers yesterday at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Parañaque City.

Tolentino, the cycling chief who has been in the helm of the POC since 2019, garnered 45 votes that represent 75 percent of the 61 voting members of the local Olympic council.

His opponent, baseball head Loyzaga, got 15 votes in the elections that almost got tainted after the group opposing Tolentino filed a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the elections that are held once every four years.

The TRO filed by self-withdrawn second vice presidential candidate Robert Bachmann of squash in a Pasig City court never came and the elections proceeded without a hitch.

“The general assembly has spoken,” said the 60-year-old Tolentino, who is also the mayor of Tagaytay City.

“I think performance was the basis (of landslide victory),” Tolentino, 60, told reporters after the elections supervised by Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV with Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo and Letran-Calamba Rector and President Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, OP, as members.

Basketball’s Alfredo “Al” Panlilio ran unopposed and got 53 votes and his fellow “Working Team” bet Rep. Richard Gomez topped the race for second vice president, routing skateboarding’s Carl Sambrano, 37-22.

Dr. Jose Raul Canlas of surfing was also unopposed as treasurer with 54 votes and Donaldo Caringal of volleyball clinched 47 votes, also beating Rodrigo Roque, who had 12 votes, by a mile.

Completing the Tolentino team’s lopsided victory were new executive board members Leonora Escollante of canoe-kayak with 45 votes, Alvin Aguilar of wrestling with 44 votes, Ferdinand Agustin of jiu-jitsu with 41 votes, Alexander Sulit of judo with 41 votes and Leah Gonzales of fencing with 40 votes.

No one from the opposition “Together in Excellence” team headed by Bachmann put up a semblance of a tough fight in the proceedings that were completed in three hours.

“It’s not for me, but for the country, for the POC, and for our athletes,” Tolentino, head of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines, whose national coaches for road were present to show their full support, said.

“For the athletes, athletes, athletes…,” Tolentino said.

Of the 61 voters, 58 were National Sports Associations (NSA) and two were from the Athletes Commission and one from International Olympic Committee representative Mikaela Cojuangco Jaworski.

Rugby was the lone NSA who didn’t exercise its right to vote.