Sinabi ni Filipino vaulter EJ Obiena sa Senado nitong Lunes, Pebrero 7, na nais niyang malinis ang kanyang pangalan at maibalik bilang isang pambansang atleta.
“What I really just want is to be reinstated as a national athlete; to be able to represent the Philippines,” ani Obiena sa Senate Committee on Sports na sumusuri sa mga sigalot sa pagitan niya at ng Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
Ang apela ng Tokyo Olympian ay naganap matapos magisa ng mga senador ang PATAFA kung bakit ito naglabas ng akusasyon na pineke umano nito ang kanyang liquidation documents at nag-utos na ibalik ang mahigit P4.8-milyong pondo upang ma-suwelduhan ang kanyang Ukrainian coach na si Vitaly Petrov.
Nauna nang inakusahan ng PATAFA si Obiena ng late na pagbabayad sa kanyang coach para sa mga serbisyong ibiniga simula noong 2018, isang bagay na itinanggi nina Obiena at Petrov.
Sen. Bong Go, pinakiusapan si Sen. Imee na pagkasunduin muli sina PBBM, VP Sara
Sa pagtugon sa mga tanong ni Sen. Francis Tolentino, sinabi pa ni Obiena na umaasa rin siya na mahawakan niya ang kanyang liquidation at training funds sa ilalim ng mas magandang sistema.
“…That it would not go through me, as I proposed to PATAFA last August,” ani Obiena.
Nang tanungin kung bukas siya sa pakikipagkasundo sa kanyang national sports association (NSA), sinabi ni Obiena na oo, habang ipinunto na mahalagang "malinis ang aking pangalan."
“My only concern with reconciliation with the current administration is that they are supposed to take care of the athletes but on Nov. 13, in a text message, they wanted this out in the public. They wanted this out without any investigation done, out in the public. That is my main concern as the breach of trust in my confidence that this will never happen again in the rest of my career in representing the Philippines. That I would be judged without due process and judged guitly before any investigation is done,” ani Obiena.
“That is my concern. I am more than willing to reconcile my only worry is how sure am I that this kind of things that happened now will never happen again under the same committee, same administration, that have persecuted me and wanted this out in public,” ipinunto niya.
“It is affecting me and my preparations and I truly believe that is all I would be needing to be able to continue po,” giit ni Obiena.
Sinabi ni Obiena na naniniwala siya, talagang may layunin na "pintahan ang kanyang imahe sa publiko bilang isang embezzler.”
“This is my main issue and I want my name cleared because I am publicly accused and that has damaged not just me, but my parents, my siblings, and my cousins,” sabi ng atleta.
“Even those people who are not my relatives but have the surname Obiena will be branded in public as embezzlers,” pagpapatuloy niya.
Noong Enero, inirekomenda ng PATAFA na tanggalin si Obiena sa national training pool nito kasunod ng imbestigasyon nito sa umano'y maling paggamit nito ng pondo.
Inirerekomenda din ng NSA na magsampa ng reklamo laban kay Petrov at sa adviser ni Obiena, si James Lafferty, bilang persona non-grata.
Ngunit sa pagdinig ng Senado, iginiit ng pangulo ng PATAFA na si Philip Juico na nakatanggap na rin siya ng mga pang-iinsulto mula nang magsimula ang kontrobersya kay Obiena.
“We got insulted for it…if we’re talking about the insults, listen to the insults that I personally receive. And what do you think this has caused my family?” sabi ni Juico.
“You know you get into this thing, there’s bound to be something like this unless we talk things over. Pero hindi e, bumira kaagad dun sa media, saying I demand an apology so how do we start talking?” dagdag niya.
Iginiit din ni Juico na obligado lamang siyang tingnan ang mga alegasyon ng hindi niya pagbabayad sa kanyang coach nang ihapag sa kanya ang usapin.
“It was my duty to look into it. This is nothing personal,” sabi ni Juico sa komite.
Hannah Torregoza
