Philippine Olympic execs agree on age limit for officials

MANILA, Philippines – After much debate, the Philippine Olympic Committee executive board has agreed in principle on several proposed constitutional amendments, including putting age limit of 78 years old on officials seeking elective posts in the national sports body.

“Yes, there was an agreement,” said POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino after emerging from a four-hour caucus Tuesday night.

But since it was just a caucus, the EB is hoping to make everything official as it holds another meeting, this time a formal one, sometime in the first week of next month.

It was a stark contrast to what happened in their initial meetings that ended in stalemates.

The committee in charge on constitutional change headed by former POC president Ricky Vargas had originally proposed an age limit of 70 that was opposed before the two sides eventually reached a compromise.

“We call it a consensus because according to some, it’s just a caucus and non-binding. But there is an agreement,” said POC board member Robert Mananquil of billiards and snookers.

It also said yes to barring officials from hanging into two positions in different national sports associations (NSAs) at the same time, allowed aspirants from non-Olympic sports to run from for top posts in the POC and gave voting rights to former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Nikko Huelgas as athletes’ commission representative to the EB.

Likewise getting the nod were the inclusion of International Olympic Committee honorary member Frank Elizalde as a non-voting member to the EB, the formation of an independent arbitration body, the removal of two consecutive SEAG appearances as a requirement for NSAs to become a regular POC member and made it four, and giving a qualification of four years of service as NSA official for someone running for the positions of chairman, president and vice president and at least two for other board posts.

The POC also adopted the court ruling on “active participation” that as long as the NSA is represented in the GA, the president or secretary-general means he or she had actively participated.