Gets P20 million seed money from MVP
By Nick Giongco, With a report from Waylon Galvez
Armed with solid Olympic lineage, Ricky Vargas put an end to Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco’s 14-year reign as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) yesterday after a court-ordered election handed the boxing boss a resounding 24-15 win at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club.
Backed by tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, who even dropped by before the elections to show his support to Vargas’ candidacy and to meet and greet national sports association leaders, Vargas was ecstatic in victory.
Behind closed doors, the votes were counted and Vargas’ supporters erupted in jubilation as soon as it was over.
Even the newly-elected president could not hide his joy, raising his arms as though he had just been declared winner by knockout as various NSA leaders came up to him to either shake his hand or give him a warm embrace.
“We will make changes for the athletes…for Philippine sports to succeed and become one again,” said Vargas, who turns 66 today.
To make this happen, Vargas announced that Pangilinan, whose MVP Sports Foundation bankrolls the training and overseas stints of high-profile sports, has pledged “a seed money of P20-million for the POC.”
“We are here for the athletes and we are here to unite. There are many things to be discussed. We will make changes for the athletes,” said Vargas, whose candidacy received a big boost on the eve of the elections when a three-man election panel chaired by Frank Elizalde ruled that he was being allowed to run.
Elizalde had earlier ruled Vargas and his running mate, cycling head and Tagaytay Rep. Bambol Tolentino, not qualified for failing to meet an attendance requirement.
But a Pasig court order ruling that the POC conduct an elections that will include Vargas and Tolentino simply put to much pressure on Elizalde.
While he maintains that Vargas and Tolentino, who beat table tennis bet Ting Ledesma, 23-15, were still not qualified based on the POC by-laws, Elizalde, the former International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative to the Philippines, insists that the court order was hard to ignore.
Not only that, Elizalde reveals.
The IOC had also told him that the POC should honor the court order and proceed with the elections while he was attending the Winter Olympics in Korea recently.
“I spoke with the IOC in Korea and that’s what they told me,” said Elizalde.
Following the court order was the best thing to do as he flirted with a contempt charge aside from the fact that the IOC “was very much aware of the situation in the Philippines.”
Asked about the possibility of the IOC stepping in and overturning Vargas’ win, Elizalde shook his head.
Vargas, whose grandfather Jorge Vargas, was once the POC president, admits that while he was assured that 27 NSAs were behind his bid to unseat Cojuangco, 83, it didn’t dawn on him that such was a pretty accurate estimate until he had garnered enough votes when the counting entered the final stretch.
“I was told we had 27 (NSAs) but I didn’t realize it until I had actually won,” said Vargas, whose tenure will last until 2020.
Always the gentleman, Vargas approached Cojuangco after the counting ended and while the two didn’t speak to each other, they shook hands.
“We just smiled at each other,” said Vargas, adding that Cojuangco won’t just fade into the sunset without being given any fanfare.
“We will give him due,” he added.
Moments later, Cojuangco, looking grim and gaunt, stood up from where he sat and was escorted on his way out by daughter Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.
Cojuangco, the 83-year-old former legislator from Tarlac, declined to issue a statement after the 30-minute proceedings.
“Magpapatawag na lang ako ng meeting,” said Cojuangco, who represents equestrian, on his way out of the function room together.
“Huwag na muna ngayon (to give statement), baka makapag-bitaw pa ako ng masama,” added Cojuangco, obviously stunned and dejected with the outcome of the election results.
It was a surprising ending to Cojuangco’s reign as POC chief.
He began serving the local Olympic body as president back in 2004 when he defeated former ally Go Teng Kok, then the president of track and field, following the term of Celso Dayrit.
Cojuangco again won in 2008 in a close contest when he defeated the late Art Macapagal of shooting, 21-19, and then earned a third term when he ran unopposed in 2012.