THE Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association transferred a total of P13,320,504.20 of Philippine Sports Commission funds directly to pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, including the wages of Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov, from May 3, 2018 until Aug. 11, 2020.
Athletics chief Philip Ella Juico disclosed this during the House Sports Committee inquiry yesterday on the controversy over the alleged delayed salaries of Petrov from 2018 until September 2020.
Using a power point presentation, Juico pointed out that a total of 57,506,80 euros were remitted to Petrov via bank transfers in the amounts of 3,000 on Sept. 20; 5,000 on Sept. 21; 20,878 on Nov. 20 and 28,627.92 on Nov. 21.
“There are acknowledgment letters from May 2019 to Nov. 2019 that were sent to Patafa on Oct. 2019. But transaction records show that first payment was done September 2020,” Juico said.
Also present at the hearing were Obiena and Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez, who has asked the local track body and the athlete to submit to PSC mediation. The PSC offer ends today, Wednesday.
Juico said he has signed and agreed to the PSC mediation while Atty. Bobbet Bruce, Obiena’s legal counsel, said they will think over the matter with his client, raising questions as to who would shoulder the cost of the process.
Speaking on behalf of the PSC, acting executive director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. advised Obiena to agree to the PSC proposal “so we can settle this issue with confidentiality.”
“We will seriously consider the offer of the PSC since there is still time to decide,” Bruce said, adding that Obiena is pulling out of the Patafa Administrative Committee hearing regarding the issue, which was suspended by Juico upon Ramirez’s request.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, who is also the Patafa Chairman, warned Obiena that if he would not accept the PSC mediation effort “then we will advise the House Sports Committee to continue with this inquiry to get to the bottom of the truth.”
Ramirez said he is willing to extend the deadline to find a solution to the issue that has been dragging for nearly a month now.
