PBA Chairman and TNT team governor Ricky Vargas during the press conference for the 2024 PBA Governors' Cup, October 24, 2024. PBA Images

MANILA -- Various key appointments were made during the Philippine Olympic Committee's first general assembly for the year on Wednesday in Paranaque City.

Ricky Vargas was named chef de mission to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, while Dr. Jose Raul Canlas will be in charge of the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand as POC gears up for various sporting events slated for this year and so on.

Additionally, Al Panlilio will handle the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games for the Philippines, Rep. Richard Gomez will take care of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, while Stephen Arapoc was assigned to the Chengdu 2025 World Games.

Richard Lim of karate is chef de mission to the Asian Winter Games in Harbin that starts February 7 to 14 while the chef de mission has yet to be named for the Third Asian Youth Olympics Games from October 22 to 31 in Bahrain.

“The objective is to prepare our teams—and athletes—in earnest for the international competitions, that’s why the chefs de mission were appointed,” POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said. “If we prepare early, there will be no excuses.”

The more anticipated events are the Los Angeles Olympics, slated from July 14 to 30, 2028, and the SEA Games, which will take place December 9 to 20 this year in Chonburi, Songkhla and Bangkok.

Vargas is a former POC president and currently chairman of the boxing federation, Panlilio (basketball) and Gomez (modern pentathlon) are the incumbent first and second vice presidents, respectively, and Canlas (surfing) treasurer of the organization, while Arapoc heads the wushu association.

Former football president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta was appointed as ethics committee chairman while Atty. Daniel Hofileña, a non-POC member, will head the arbitration committee.

Tolentino said the POC General Assembly also approved the 2025 working budget of P35 million which is P8 million less than last year’s because of the Paris Olympics preparations and participation.

Tolentino and his secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan also announced that the POC made a P15 million savings last year.