PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee first vice president Joey Romasanta yesterday challenged his fellow POC members “do the right thing” in the POC polls on Nov. 27.
“As sports leaders and POC members, we should aspire to be better men and women not only in pursuing sports excellence but also in setting an example in honesty, integrity, proficiency and transparency for our followers, our flag, and our country, all in the spirit of Olympism,” said Romasanta, who is not running for any post.
The volleyball chief reminded his fellow members that “with the youth of the land among our constituents, we are the standard-bearers in nurturing, promoting, and propagating our respective sports based on the lofty ideals and tenets of Olympism.”
He noted that the IOC charter itself encourages “the development of physical and moral qualities which are the bases of sports” and to “educate young people through sports in a spirit of better understanding and friendship to build a better and more peaceful world.”
“The goal of Olympism is to put sports at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view of promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity,” he emphasized.
He mentioned that these are “heavy responsibilities and obligations that we swore to uphold when we became NSA leaders and POC members. Our actions and decisions within our associations and the POC have a larger impact beyond the field of sports and upon society we live in as well.”
Romasanta said that because he felt “privileged and fortunate to be engaged in sports and its development for so many years, we can rightfully and respectfully say that our choices and decisions we make in our own sports backyard will have consequences, either good or bad, to the greater community at large.”
He appealed to his fellow members in the local Olympic body that “our choice and decision in this crucial election on Nov. 27 will leave a legacy for posterity that will impact succeeding generations.”
“Nakasalalay sa ating mga kamay at pag-pasiya ang kapakanan, kinabukasan, kapalaran at direksiyon ng ating pambansang palakasan, kasama na rin ang ating kabataan, sa ating gagawin sa Nobyembre 27,” Romasanta said.
“Dare we let our stakeholders and followers, especially our youth, down? The eyes of the Filipino people will be upon us as we go out and vote for our new POC leaders,” he added.
