The Daily Tribune <<< Without Fear or Favor >>>

»HEADLINES

»NATION

Macapagal gains grounds on first day of campaign

By Julius Manicad

10/31/2008

With one month left before the Philippine Olympic Committee elections, candidates for the POC presidency, incumbent POC chief Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and Arturo Macapagal, have unleashed their respective campaign machineries, hoping to generate enough support from the 40-man POC general assembly.

But with the way things are going, it seems the shooting president is swiftly gaining momentum at the start of month-long campaign period.

A source from within the POC circle yesterday revealed that the Macapagal bloc has been working doubly-hard, gaining the votes of three national sports association (NSA) leaders days before the deadline for the filing of candidacy last Wednesday.

Added in Macapagal’s “pride and performance team” are football secretary-general Pablito Araneta, soft tennis president Antonio Tamayo and volleyball president Pedro Mendoza, who were all previously linked with the ruling coalition. Araneta is running for second vice-president while both Tamayo and Mendoza are seeking for a seat in the POC board of directors under the Macapagal banner.

The source also stressed that the oppositions are also still talking to Amelita “Ming” Ramos of badminton, Ernesto Fajardo of billiards and snookers, Jamalul Kiram of pencak silat and Sim Chi Tat of canoe-kayak in an attempt to clinch the simple majority in the Nov. 28 polls.

Right now, the group has 16 supporters, five votes short of achieving the simple majority of 21 votes. The Cojuangco team, however, claims to have 24 votes, but some of its men are reportedly being lured to join the opposite camp.

“It is still a work in progress,” Macapagal’s secretary-general Tom Carrasco said, admitting that their campaign went full swing after announcing their candidacy. “Their (NSA leaders) pledge of support is not a guarantee that they will vote for him (Cojuangco). They still have the time to change their mind. It’s still a long way to go.”

In a star-studded news conference before the deadline for the filing of candidacy, the 66-year-old Macapagal admitted that they have yet to gain “the winning number,” but with the overwhelming support they received from the members of the POC general assembly, clinching it will be sooner than expected.

He also doesn’t see any problem in the aftermath of the POC elections because “I didn’t say anything bad against anybody.

“The fact that I am here filing our candidacy is an indication of the encouragement that we are getting from other sports associations,” Macapagal said. “We will convince other NSA leaders to support our movement, to join us in our effort to uplift Philippine sports.”

POC spokesperson Joey Romasanta claimed awareness over the oppositions’ aggressive campaigning, but said it is just natural for a democratic organization. After all, the POC elections are still one month away and many things could still happen.

“They can do whatever they want, it’s still a long way to go,” Romasanta said before boarding his flight to Kuala Lumpur.