Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Wednesday accused seven members of the Executive Board of using political tactics to get votes in the coming POC elections on November 27.
“It is definitely 101 percent [pure politics]. It is just a political stand,” said Tolentino during the unveiling of the Philippines 2019 Southeast Asian Games Final Report book at the Kalayaan Hall of the SM Aura in Taguig City.
“Why do you sue PHISGOC [Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee] with specific performance? It [PHISGOC] didn’t refuse to submit its financial and periodic reports. It’s because PHISGOC isn’t done yet in its report and that’s why it is not submitting anything yet, it’s as simple as that,” he added.
Archery president Clint Aranas, Tolentino’s opponent for the POC presidency, and six other board members filed on Tuesday at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court a specific performance suit against the Phisgoc, insisting that the PHISGOC should have submitted a financial report to the POC by this time as stated in a memorandum of agreement among the tripartite committee members PHISGOC, POC and the Philippine Sports Commission.
Besides Aranas, the complainants included POC first vice president Jose Romasanta, second vice president Jeff Tamayo, treasurer Julian Camacho, auditor Jonne Go, board member Robert Mananquil and chairman Steve Hontiveros.
Tolentino stressed the PHISGOC didn’t violate any provision of the tripartite agreement because the auditing firm PricewaterCooperhouse wanted to complete its task and that neither the PHISGOC nor POCA could compel the internationally reputable auditing company to submit a raw report.
“How can you finalize it [audit] 60 days after or a year after, or whatever date, if you’re not done closing the books because you are still paying somebody else? Hopefully, in a week or two from now, they’ll already finished the audit,” he added.
Payments to the SEA Games suppliers were done on a staggered basis based on the PSC’s remittance to the PHISGOC and with the Covid-19 pandemic prevailing, the government sports agency remained as helpless in securing funds. The PHISGOC received the last tranche of payment for unpaid suppliers only last September 4.
Tolentino, along with PHISGOC Chairman Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and President and COO Ramon Suzara, and PSC Commissioner Arnold Agustin presided over the unveiling ceremony of the 300-page, hardbound Final Report, which is an official document required of all SEA Games hosts.
Cayetano also pointed to politics as the reason behind the filing of the case.
“To those members who sued us in court, you will all be embarrassed. The problem is the POC election is near, so they are creating issues even without issues,” he said.