‘Anti-Peping’ protest fails to draw enough support

Only a small group numbering at least 100 at the most converged at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Thursday to call for the ouster of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, obviously lacking support from other officials of the national Olympic body who have decided not to join the protest which was initially perceived to draw throngs of symphatizers.

Leading the group were Philippine Swimming League (PSL) secretary general Susan Papa, Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) president Marcia Cristobal, Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) president Edgardo Cantada and former Philippine Football Federation (PFF) official Johnny Romualdez.

A separate protest action was organized by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) commissioner Ramon Fernandez in Cebu. Fernandez is a staunch critic of Cojuangco.

Despite the low turnout of protesters, former PSC chairman Aparicio Mequi expressed optimism that their action will soon encourage other sectors to join their call and seek the ouster of Cojuangco from the POC leadership.

Mequi said that the rally may be unsuccessful in terms of numbers but cited that some successful revolutions were started by only one person.

He added that their group will not cease in their attempt to draw attention from the government to file a case against Cojuangco, who allegedly was unable to liquidate public funds from various projects, including the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) which the Philippines hosted in 2005.

Mequi stressed that there is a pressing need for the POC to be led by a newhand for the sake of Philippine sports.