PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said last Monday night that he had an “ace” up his sleeve that could boost the chances of pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena competing for the country in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in May.
“May alas pa naman kami. May alas pa naman kami para makalaro si EJ in the SEA Games,” said Tolentino, who declined to reveal what the “ace” was, in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards rites at the Diamond Hotel.
The POC chief made the statement after the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association did not include Obiena’s name in the national athletics team that will compete in the regional sportsfest set May 12 to 23 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and surrounding areas.
The Patafa move was contained in a letter sent by national training director Renato Unso last March 1 to the Italy-based Obiena, who had requested the local track body’s endorsement in mid-February to compete in four international meets, including the Vietnam Games.
Unso, also the Patafa National Capital Region director, informed Obiena that his request would be considered pending the progress of the mediation process between him and the Patafa arranged by the Philippine Sports Commission, which had its second round of talks last Monday.
“Deadlock,” said a source who was privy to the dialog between Patafa and the estranged athlete, but declined to discuss what transpired during the meeting.
PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, who like Tolentino received a PSA award, hinted in his acceptance speech of his frustration at the slow pace the mediation was going through.
“Humility makes people better learners and decision-makers. I speak on this in the midst of the controversy taking place in Philippine sports. But due to external accomplishments, some of us became proud in Philippine sports,” Ramirez said without naming names.
With World Athletics, the world governing body for the sport, recognizing Patafa as the sole authority over the Olympic sport in the country, Obiena acknowledged over the weekend that he would be unable to compete in the World Indoor meet set March 18 to 20 in Belgrade, Serbia for lack of the association’s endorsement.
Tolentino, who has stood by the embattled athlete, said he will go to Hanoi to attend the meeting of chiefs of mission from March 18 to 20 — to lobby for Obiena’s inclusion in the national contingent with the Vietnamese hosts after national chief of mission Ramon Fernandez begged off.
Fernandez, 68, announced late last week that he had decided to skip the meeting because of the dramatic rise of COVID cases in Vietnam, which recorded an all-time high of 264,790 cases last Monday.
“We will be in a bubble in Hanoi so I am not that too worried,” Tolentino said of the conditions in the Vietnamese capital. “I will lead the ship and not abandon it.”
But Tolentino acknowledged that it won’t be easy sailing for Obiena, who found himself in hot water with Patafa after an internal inquiry revealed that he had falsified liquidation documents from funds given directly to him for his expenses in his build-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games last year.
The financial aid came from the PSC, which included the fees for his Ukrainian coach, Italy Petrov, whose signature was allegedly forged in the liquidation papers, and unpaid until August 2021.
“If you want EJ’s accreditation to the SEA Games to go smoothly, then you need Patafa endorsement. Without it, there will be a big challenge in the details,” said Tolentino, who included the names of Obiena and Petrov in the list of entries sent to the Vietnamese organizers over the weekend.
He said the POC had also written the World Athletics regarding the issue since the SEA Games is not a directly WA-sanctioned event “but a regional Games. So hopefully EJ can participate.”
Although Obiena, who holds the Asian and national record of 5.93 meters, is a virtual lock to retain his SEA Games men’s pole vault title, Tolentino said this is not about winning the gold medal “but representing our country in the competition.”
