Sports leaders from Negros Occidental yesterday scored the decision of the Philippine Olympic Festival Organizing Committee to reschedule the staging of the 2nd POF Visayas Qualifying Games in Antique because of the May elections.

NOPSSCEA Sports Task Force chairman Roger Banzuela said the possibility that the multi-sport event will not be staged this year now looms large because of the postponement.

The best time to hold a multi-event sporting competition involving school-based athletes is during the summer, Banzuela said.

During a visit in Bacolod City last year, Philippine Olympic president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, said that the qualifiers in Visayas were supposed to be held this month.

But Robert Aventajado, chairman of the POF Organizing Committee, said Sunday that the festival will be moved to either July or August upon the request of Antique Gov. Sally Perez, citing the preparations being made for the May elections.

Banzuela, who is also the Western Visayas PRISAA athletic manager, said that it would be difficult to convince student-athletes to join the event in July or August because the school year will just be starting then. Provincial Board Member Emilio "Dino" Yulo III, chairman of the committee on education, said that politics should not be the reason why sports events are postponed or cancelled.

"The developments of the athletes should not be hampered just because there will be elections in May," Yulo told the DAILY STAR.

Manuel De Oro, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Sports and Development Office, said that it would be better that the POC cancels the event entirely, if it is not held in the summer.

"If it (the POF) will be held in either July or August, most of the participants will be the out-of-school youth who will be difficult to develop because they might not be guided properly," he said.

Banzuela said the POC should also coordinate with the DepEd and local government units because the festival is also like the Palarong Pambansa and the defunct Batang Pinoy. Aventajado said that all governors and mayors in the participating provinces, including Neg. Occ. Gov. Joseph Marañon and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, have been informed about the postponement.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, POC first vice-president, said Sunday that it was a practical decision to postpone the POF because most officials will be busy campaigning. *CIT

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