Law firm to pursue legal remedies on Vargas disqualification

MANILA, Philippines - The group of boxing chief Ricky Vargas yesterday tapped a private law firm as a counter-measure in case their appeal for a reversal of the election committee’s decision to disqualify him from running as president in the Philippine Olympic Committee is turned down.

Lawyer Chito Salud, Vargas’ spokesperson, said they had sought counsel from the Angara Abello Concepcion, Regala & Cruz (ACCRA) Law office, to find all legal remedies to the  issue concerning Vargas’ disqualification.

“We engaged the services of ACCRA (yesterday) for the purpose of determining the correct move our group is going to make if the POC’s election committee decides to deny our appeal,” said Salud, a former PBA commissioner.

On Friday, the PLDT executive formally filed a protest/motion for reconsideration on the decision of the POC Comelec declaring him ineligible to run against incumbent president Peping Cojuangco in the Nov. 25 polls.

Comelec member Frank Elizalde said they based the disqualification on the grounds that Vargas failed to meet the requirement of “active membership” in the POC general assembly for the past two years as prescribed by Article 7, Section 11 of the Olympic body’s by-laws.

But the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) head argued that “active membership” should not be confined to physical presence during the general assembly, as how the Comelec viewed it.

“The fact is that the POC law and constitution do not provide a parameter as to what an active member is. It’s a vague, nebulous eligibility requirement without a clear cut set of meaning,” said Salud.

Salud is also mulling the possibility of asking the POC general assembly to define what an active membership means since it was the same group that wrote and enacted the Olympic body’s constitution and by-laws.

Or they could just seek relief from the courts.

Salud, however, said it will be up to ACCRA.

“That remains to be seen. But for sure, all legal remedies will be explored,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vargas’ ticket mate Rep. Bambol Tolentino of cycling has filed his appeal on his own disqualification.

Tolentino is also seeking the disqualification

 of his rival Tom Carrasco of triathlon because the former claimed the latter is no longer the head of his National Sports Association after he gave way to Ramon Marchan as its new head in an election last Aug. 31.

The three-page letter was filed by PhilCycling secretary-general Avelino Sumagui.

Carrasco, however, said the election of Marchan as triathlon president will only take effect on Jan. 1 next year.