PARAÑAQUE Mayor and former national junior player Eric Olivarez was elected as the new Philippine Tennis Association president in polls supervised by the Philippine Olympic Committee at the Century Park Hotel in Malate, Manila yesterday.
With close to 200 clubs nationwide represented during the election, Olivarez, 53, won the nod of 12 of the 13 regional vice presidents, with one going to businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier, making up the Philta board.
POC secretary general Atty. Wharton Chan, Philcycling secretary general Atty. Billy Sumagui and POC deputy secretary general Carl Sambrano supervised the polls.
“Congratulations to Mayor Olivarez for being elected as the new Philta president. I am surprised by the turnout because I did not realize that we had these many clubs throughout the country,” noted POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who witnessed the proceedings.
“Everything was democratic and transparent. This is the only thing that the International Tennis Federation has been waiting so that the Philta suspension can be lifted,” added Tolentino, who played a critical role in having the intramurals within the association finally sorted out.
“I am humbled by this near-unanimous vote of confidence as the new Philta president, and, hopefully we can unite all our stakeholders in moving forward for the good of the sport,” said Olivarez. “I will do my best.”
His family has a distinguished tennis pedigree, being the third Olivarez to head the association after his father, Doc Pablo Olivarez, and older brother Rep. Edwin Olivarez.
Sister Edna used to play for the national women’s team.
The newly-elected tennis honcho he used to play varsity tnnis for California State University, where he finished his Bachelors’ degree in nursing, and was also a lecturer at De La Salle University.
Aside from the lifting of the ITF suspension, Olivarez said he hopes to re-acquire custody of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center inside the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center where the old Philta office was located.
“At present, Philta is homeless so we will request the Philippine Sports Commission in having our old office at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center back so we can operate properly as an association,” he said.
