ABRAHAM 'Bambol' Tolentino and Chito Loyzaga will be contesting the presidency of the Philippine Olympic Committee in elections set on November 29 at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Paranaque City.
Both camps announced their candidacy just before the deadline for the filing of candidacy on Wednesday.
Tolentino, currently the mayor of Tagaytay City who also holds the position of president of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines, is seeking a second four-year mandate of the national Olympic body.
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Challenging him is Loyzaga, a former PBA player who spent his best years with Barangay Ginebra and commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission who is now the president of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association.
Tolentino and Loyzaga have already revealed their ticket which includes Al Panlilio of basketball and Jose Raul Canlas running for both camps as first vice president and treasurer, respectively.
Richard Gomez of modern pentathlon (second vice president), Don Caringal of volleyball (auditor), Ali Sulit of judo, Ferdie Agustin of jiu-jitsu, Len Escollante of canoe-kayak, and Alvin Aguilar of wrestling (executive board members) are running under Tolentino’s ticket which he has dubbed as ‘My Working Team.’
Robert Bachmann of squash (second vice president), Rod Roque of weightlifting (auditor), Rep. Peter Miguel of archery, Charlie Ho of netball, Rommel Miranda of kurash, Derek Ramsay of gymnastics, and Steven Virata of equestrian (executive board members) are in Loyzaga’s ticket centered around ‘Together In Excellence.’
The POC has 59 voting members composed of 34 national sports associations from Olympic sports, 22 NSAs from non-Olympic sports, two members from the Athletes’ Commission, and International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.
Tolentino, who under his administration saw Carlos Yulo and Hidilyn Diaz winning Olympic gold medals, assured his ticket will work harder to continue to gains of Tokyo and Paris.
“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.”
For his part, Loyzaga’s platform is focused on unity, good governance, transparency, integrity, peace, and inclusivity.
“I am committed to fostering an atmosphere where inclusivity and unity guide our path forward,” Loyzaga said. “I believe that a united and transparent POC will best serve our athletes, coaches, sports officials, and the entire Philippine sports community.”
Lawyer Teodoro Kalaw IV will chair the POC commission of elections, while Letran-Calamba rector and president Rev. Fr. Napoleon Encarnacion O.P., and Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Olivia ‘Bong’ Coo are the members.
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