Press Release
May 26, 2009

Resolve your differences, focus on excelling in the 2009 SEA Games - Gordon to conflicting POC and NSAs

Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) today advised the feuding Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the National Sports Associations (NSAs) to resolve their differences and focus instead on getting ready for the Laos Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.

Gordon urged the conflicting groups to concentrate on training the members of the Philippine team who will compete in the SEA Games so they will win enough gold medals and regain the over-all championship from Thailand.

"We have to direct our energies on winning our way back to the over-all championship in the SEA Games this December and show the world that Filipinos excel in sports and in other areas," he said.

"We used to be Asia's No. 1, but now we are known as Asia's used-to-be. However, with unity, stability and transformation, we can beat our opponents. We will regain our position and be Asia's best once again," he added.

With almost half of the year gone, nine NSAs are embroiled in a leadership dispute with the POC instead of being busy preparing for the 25th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane, Laos in December.

The NSAs filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (ICO) against POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and the POC executive board for grave violations of the Olympic Charter and abuse of the POC's function to arbitrate internal NSA disputes.

According to their complaint letter addressed to IOC president Jacques Rogge, the POC leadership committed three major offenses--interfering in the electoral process of the NSAs, misusing the POC's function to arbitrate internal NSA disputes and maintaining a POC executive board, whose members are not majority members of an Olympic sport.

The nine signatories of the complaint are Amelita Ramos of badminton; Carissa Coscolluela of equestrian; Marcia Cristobal of dragon boat racing; Jane Ong of swimming; Edwin Pimentel of wushu; Abraham Tolentino of cycling; Yen Makabenta of billiards; Renato Bartolome of archery; and Jetro Lozada of wrestling.

They explained that the POC did not show respect on the autonomy of the NSAs and had interfered in their electoral process. The POC likewise denied recognition to the NSAs duly elected boards and officers and ordered them to use old voters' lists as well as postponing elections indefinitely to others.

The troubled NSA groups also questioned the unfair procedure conducted by the POC when arbitrating during NSA disputes. They said the negotiation process must be fair and independent and that arbitration decisions must be submitted to the POC general assembly for ratification.

At the same time, Gordon called on the POC, being the final arbitrator of all NSAs' conflicts and leadership disputes, to respect the autonomy of the NSAs' and to show impartiality in dealing with their disputes.

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