Manila—Yesterday’s much-anticipated face off between officials of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) didn’t push through after the Senate hearing that would have looked into the latter’s alleged unliquidated funds was cancelled.
The cancellation came when POC officials, headed by their president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., informed the Senate they could not make it to the inquiry as they had to attend a separate hearing at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 159, where a temporary restraining order (TRO) was filed to stop the Nov. 25 POC elections.
It was Ricky Vargas, president of the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP), who filed the TRO after he was disqualified to run for POC president for failing to meet the requirement of being an “active member” of the POC, which has been headed by Cojuangco for the past 12 years.
In the TRO, Vargas asked for the suspension of the POC elections while the court has yet to resolve whether or not he is eligible to run.
PSC Commissioner Ramon “El Presidente” Fernandez flew from Cebu to Manila to attend the Senate hearing but was informed of the cancellation shortly after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport yesterday morning.
“Officials of the POC called the Senate [and said] they could not make it because they had to attend the TRO hearing at 11 a.m. They lied because the TRO hearing was actually held at 2 p.m. and Cojuangco did not even show up in the court. Their presence at the court was not needed and they could have just sent their lawyers,” said Fernandez.
The Senate Committee on Sports, chaired by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, was supposed to convene at 10 a.m.
After yesterday’s cancellation, no date has been set yet as to when the Senate could finally push through with the hearing.
Sen. Sonny Angara had filed a resolution seeking an inquiry into the alleged unliquidated funds worth close to P130 million that the PSC released to
POC since 2010. He also sought an investigation over the alleged unjust disqualification of candidates for the POC elections.