PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino yesterday stood by pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, ensuring that he can continue competing in international meets, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Of course, we in the POC will help EJ in his future campaigns. We in the POC will make sure EJ will be in Hanoi (for the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games) and Huangzhou (Asian Games) and in all other major world competitions. We’ll fight for EJ,” Tolentino said in a statement yesterday.
Tolentino’s pronouncement came shortly after Patafa, in an online press conference yesterday, disclosed the findings of its Administrative Committee over the funds it handed over to Obiena that came from both the local track body and the Philippine Sports Commission in his preparations for the Toky Olympic Games.
The committee claimed that Obiena had falsified liquidation papers from May to September 2019 reputedly as payments for the salaries of Ukrainian mentor Vitaly Petrov.
The athletics committee also recommended that Obiena be dropped from the national team and be sued for estafa.
Petrov, who has been coaching Obiena since 2016 at the World Athletics elite training camp in Formia, Italy, had acknowledged in a casual chat with Juico that he had only received payment in September 2020.
Tolentino said: “I didn’t expect EJ will be dropped from the national team by his NSA (National Sports Association). Will sports stakeholders — the public, especially, allow EJ (Obiena’s nickname) to be out of the national team?
“Of course, the NSA has the right to recommend or not, endorse or not, its athlete/s for international competitions, but there’s a provision in the IOC Charter allowing NOCs to endorse athlete/s,” Tolentino noted.
“But in the absence of an endorsement from a national federation, the organizer/host has the prerogative to allow embattled athlete/s–the IOC allows refugee athletes to compete in major international competitions (including the Olympics),” he added.
Tolentino also appealed to the Philippine Sports Commission to intervene in the issue, although Obiena had declined the mediation efforts initiated by PSC Chairman William
“Butch” Ramirez, preferring instead to take his grievances against Patafa to the POC Ethics Committee.
“The ball is now with the PSC. Will the PSC allow EJ to be stricken off from the national team (SEA Games and Asian Games year)? Wil the government allow a world-class athlete to be out of the national team,” the POC chief asked. “Will the PSC turn its back on its mandate? I don’t think so.”
There was no reaction from the PSC as of yesterday afternoon.
Tolentino said “the action of Mr. Juico in removing EJ Obiena from the national pool is an expected result of his (the athlete’s) expose. (It) is a vengeful act that shuts down the chances of the Philippines from (fulfilling) its Olympic dream.”
He was referring to the complaint of harassment filed by Obiena against Juico that the athlete filed with the POC Ethics Committee. The POC committee recommended that Juico be declared “persona non grata” from the POC, a move approved by the POC Executive Board last week.
The issue will be subject to a vote during the POC general assembly meeting on January 12.
