PATAFA set to oust Obiena from PHL team after investigation results

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) recommended the expulsion of Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena from the PH national team following the results of their investigative committee.

After PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico vowed to resist the Philippine Olympic Committee’s (POC) decision of declaring him as persona non grata, the sports organization came out with a bang once again after publishing its six strong recommendations against Obiena and his camp.

“So the board has accepted all the recommendations of the Administrative Committee that includes removing the 26-year-old young man, who knew the consequences of what he was doing as he repeatedly produced those curious documents,” said PATAFA president Juico.

Firstly, the PATAFA investigative committee recommended that Obiena will have to be dropped from the National Training Pool of Athletes of PATAFA.

Aside from Obiena’s expulsion, the committee also stated that they will be filing an Estafa case against Obiena of 6,000 EUR (360,000 pesos) regarding his head coach Vitaliy Petrov’s salary form May 2018 to August 2018.

His mother, Jeannette Obiena, was also inserted in the picture as the PATAFA investigative committee found out that she misappropriated the amount of 624,116.76 pesos she claimed from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

According to PATAFA, Jeannete claimed that it was a reimbursement of the coaching fee to be paid to his head coach for January 2019 to March 2019.

Mr. James Michael Lafferty, one of Obiena’s backers, was also recommended by PATAFA to be declared as persona non grata while his head coach will be slapped with a complaint about violating the Integrity Code of Conduct.

“The report brought so much sadness and feelings of betrayal. But we have to face the challenge because we should account for all the funds, government and private, given we have a responsibility over showing of all moral, ethical considerations,” added Juico.

As of this writing, Obiena and his camp are yet to reply to PATAFA’s released investigative results.