Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino initially spoke to Ramirez about the opening after Monsour Del Rosario was removed by POC President Ricky Vargas from the job,” but in a statement, Ramirez clarified that he “humbly and officially declines the offer.” He shared, “Yesterday, I got a call from Cong. Bambol Tolentino, who on behalf of the Philippine Olympic Committee as its Chairman, very kindly offered me the Chef de Mission tasks for Team Philippines’ 2019 Southeast Asian Games participation. After some moment of introspection, and to finally put to rest all speculations, I now issue this statement.”
The POC recently received controversy after Vargas removed various heads of the organization, namely president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco and first vice president Joey Romasanta, from their positions during a recent general assembly. Ramirez addressed that situation during his statement as well, explaining, “After the tumultuous event in the yard of our POC partners, we find ourselves at the crossroads of our journey. I believe that unity is vital in any endeavor. More so in this ideal, that we all undertake in our own capacities – to push Philippine sports to its highest possibilities,” adding, “In our work in the grassroots partnerships, one of our major mandates, our stakeholders in the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Interior and Local Government, showed us how they all long for unity and peace, in sports and our country. As sports leaders and adults, it is our duty to show our youth that national interest always places ahead of our personal interests.”
With sharing his opinion, Ramirez elaborated on his passion for the Philippines’ role in the SEA Games, and that despite declining the role of CDM, he will still be highly involved in the organization of the international sports event.