Court stops NCFP polls in Tagaytay
Eight directors of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) have secured a temporary restraining order against the holding of NCFP elections on Jan. 19 in Tagaytay City.
Judge Reynaldo Daway of Branch 90 of the Regional Trial Court issued the TRO yesterday, a day after hearing oral arguments on the petition filed by the group headed by NCFP chairman Mat Defensor and executive-director Sammy Estimo.
“Wherefore, let this TRO be issued, and the respondents Prospero Pichay Jr., Mayor Abraham Tolentino, Wilfredo Abalos, Red Dumuk, Atty. Edmundo Legaspi, Casto Abundo and Atty. Romeo Seratubias, their agents and associates are ordered to refrain or to desist from holding the election of the directors of the NCFP on Jan. 19, 2008 in Tagaytay City or elsewhere, until the application or motion or prayer for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction is heard/resolved, or until further orders from this court,” wrote Daway.
Daway has set another hearing on Jan. 30.
The TRO is seen as a crucial victory for Defensor’s group which has called for elections on Feb. 2 at the Amoranto sports complex.
The 15-man NCFP board is divided over the date and place of elections with Defensor’s group enjoying the support of the majority.
Aside from Defensor and Estimo, the other petitioners were former NCFP president Go Teng Kok, Dr. Jenny Mayor, Gen. Arturo Carillo, former Benguet Gov. Raul Molintas, Jess Torre and Eduardo Madrid.
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Can we borrow the Philipino court to put away the gang of 4 at the USCF?
It seems that chess political disputes have no national boundaries having popped up all over the world (US, India, Philipines, South Africa, etc. etc. )