Majority of the members of the Philippine Olympic Committee executive board will take the first step in preparing for the coming elections on July 28.
Only seven members of the executive board will attend a special meeting meeting of the executive board scheduled at 10 a.m. today at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
Guided by the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia, the board will tackle and the decide on the creation of a special election committee and the call for an Extraordinary General Assembly on July 18.
“I am thankful for IOC/OCA guidance on our POC special election to fill up vacated positions. We are hopeful we can fulfill our procedural steps leading to an orderly election befitting a National Olympic Committee,” said acting president Joey Romasanta.
Romasanta, who is returning from a short trip to Singapore, is among the eight remaining members of the executive board.
The others are former president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., IOC representative Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Robert Mananquil of billiards and snooker, Julian Camacho of wushu, Jonee Go of canoe/kayak, Prospero Pichay of chess and Jeff Tamayo of soft tennis.
Last Friday, the IOC asked Philippine Olympic Committee officials who have already vacated their positions not to attend the special meeting set.
The letter was sent by IOC director for Olympic Solidarity and National Olympic Committee Relations James Macleod and Olympic Council of Asia director general Hussain al-Musallam to concerned officials.
This includes Ricky Vargas, who quit as as POC president last June 18.
The IOC sent its latest communication and requested at least five officials not to show up.This was after it learned that two sets of letters were sent out to invite members of the POC, including those who had already quit their posts.
One of the letter of invitation letters came from secretary general Patrick Gregorio, and the other one originated from acting secretary general and legal counsel Charlie Ho.
Ho is expected to attend the gathering since he was appointed by the executive board to the post.
Vargas won’t be attending with archery’s Clint Aranas, Cynthia Carrion of gymnastics and chairman Abraham Tolentino since they have already forwarded their letters of resignation.
Vargas quit amid questions raised by the board on the incorporation of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee Foundation, which is under Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.
The Phisgoc Foundation is a separate entity from the ad hoc committee of the PHISGOC.