POC junks key changes
We have decided to adjourn the meeting because we did not agree in the age cap proposal. We disallowed it
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is tipped to adopt some provisions in its old constitution when it holds its election of officers this November.
POC board member Clint Aranas said their special board meeting Friday ended in a stalemate after they failed to reach the required two-thirds vote in some key provisions that would be crucial in the POC polls.
A noted tax lawyer and former president of the Government Service Insurance System, Aranas said they refused to vote on some controversial amendments being pushed by the POC leadership such as the age cap rule, removal of the chairmanship and immediate past president (IPP) positions and the installation of the general assembly as the highest decision-making body in the Olympic council.
With that, POC members 70 years old and above like Steve Hontiveros, Joey Romasanta, Prospero Pichay and Cynthia Carrion would still be allowed to run, making the upcoming polls very interesting for the warring blocs.
Aranas, who is being groomed to challenge POC chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in the POC elections, is part of the majority together with chairman Hontiveros, first vice-president Romasanta, second vice president Jeff Tamayo, treasurer Julian Camacho, auditor Jonne Go and board member Robert Mananquil.
“We have decided to adjourn the meeting because we did not agree in the age cap proposal. We disallowed it,” said Aranas, whose group nearly pushed the age cap to 80 years old until Vargas made the objection.
“It will take a two-thirds vote, or nine out of 13 votes, from the board for a provision to be amended. Since we did not reach that, everything was a stalemate and we have to reset another meeting.”
Aranas said the removal of the chairman and IPP became a topic of intense debate.
“We wanted to remove the chairmanship position while they wanted to remove the IPP,” he said following the virtual meeting that stretched up to five hours.