The Senate on Monday recalled the proposed budget of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for next year for supposedly taking a “hands-off” approach on the case involving pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa).
It was Sen. Pia Cayetano who asked to recall the budget of PSC, which the Senate approved in plenary last week.
“The reason I am asking for the recall of the budget of PSC is because it took a hands-off approach. They said ‘work it out.’ How can you do that to your national athlete?” Cayetano pointed out during plenary budget deliberations.
“Give importance to our national athlete who was accused just like that. And it was without basis,” she added.
Sen. Richard Gordon backed Cayetano’s move. “Here we are saying that our athlete is corrupt? My gosh! I think there’s got to be something done about this. There’s got to be some breaks applied because they’re out of control.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, for his part, said he hopes PSC would resolve the matter.
“It’s not everyday in the history of this country that we have someone like EJ Obiena,” Villanueva said.
Patafa had earlier claimed that Obiena, who finished 11th in the pole vault competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, falsified liquidation reports and ordered him to return over P4.8-million worth to the national sporting assocation.
They also accused Obiena of failing to pay his coach, Vitaly Petrov, for services he rendered from starting 2018 onward, which the athlete vehemently denied during a press conference.
Obiena said he has filed formal complaints with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Athletics against Patafa for defamation of character.