Three gold medals in two Olympics and four Asian Games gold medals, including the coveted men’s basketball title, highlighted Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino’s watch in the last four years as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
Add the overall championship in the country’s most successful hosting of the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games in 2019 where Filipino athletes won 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals in 56 sports — more than 50 golds over second-placed Vietnam.
And helping Carlos Yulo produce two gymnastics gold medals in Paris 2024 and before that Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo gifting the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020.
“It’s about teamwork, it’s about setting and achieving goals, it’s about cooperation,” said Tolentino who recently announced through a video what he called as “My Working Team” for the POC’s elections on November 29 at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Paranaque City.
The POC holds elections once every four years—or one Olympic cycle—specifically on the last Friday of November of an Olympic year.
And for this November’s elections, Tolentino, who heads the cycling federation since 2008, will be seeking a fresh four-year mandate as president of the highest sports-governing body in the country with his “Working Team” composed of Alfredo “Al” Panlilio (basketball) First Vice President, Rep. Richard Gomez (modern pentathlon) as Second Vice President, Dr. Jose Raul Canlas (surfing) Treasurer and Donaldo “Don” Caringal (volleyball) as Auditor and Alexander “Ali” Sulit (judo), Ferdinand “Ferdie” Agustin (jiu-jitsu), Leonora “Len” Escolante (canoe-kayak) and Alvin Aguilar (wrestling) and Leah Jalandoni Gonzales (fencing) as members of the Executive Board.
“This is ‘My Working Team’ and the mission is ‘Faster, Stronger, Higher—Together,’” Tolentino said. “It will be much tougher this time as the Los Angeles 2028 beckons, but rest assured, we will be more committed and active to our task, all for Philippine sports.”
The Commission on Elections for the country’s national Olympic body are returning
Atty. Teodoro Kalaw IV will again chair the POC commission on elections with Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba Rector and President Rev. Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion, O.P., and Philippine Sports Commission Commissioner Olivia “Bong” Coo as members.
The filing of the candidacies started last October 15 and ends today (October 30).
There are 59 voting members of the POC—34 Olympic national sports associations, 22 non-Olympic federations, two from the Athletes Commission and International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Mikaela María Antonia “Mikee” de los Reyes Cojuangco-Jaworski.
