THE House Committee on Youth and Sports Development urged EJ Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association to submit to mediation to be conducted by the Philippine Sports Commission for the resolution of the controversy between the two parties.
Congress on Obiena-Patafa issue
Committee vice chairperson Rep. Manny Lopez believes the issue is a matter of “accounting and administrative differences” that can be sorted out through mediation.
“All this is not helping our country,” said Lopez. “What I would like to say, although I will keep track of what is happening, is that what will be good for this is under the tutelage of Chairman Ramirez, we can go back to mediation and I think you can all reconcile dahil no one will be a victor in this brouhaha that we are having.”
“That is the manifestation that I would like to make that we go back to the negotiating table, mediate, and reconcile. This will not be good for all parties concerned. It is a matter of accounting and administrative differences that we can all settle. Let’s do it for the sake of our country,” added Lopez, who once headed the local boxing federation in the past.
PSC chairman William Ramirez also expressed his commitment to help in the mediation. Initially, the PSC set a December 15 deadline for mediation, but Ramirez said they are willing to extend it to before Christmas.
“I’m still praying that the people around EJ will have the wisdom to sit with us. Malacañang is expecting us to resolve this case. The Senate is expecting us to resolve this. And now the House. It pushes us and we feel that if we cannot resolve this, I will fail my duty as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission,” said Ramirez.
Obiena and Patafa have been at odds after Patafa conducted an internal probe acting on an affidavit by Obiena’s coach Vitaly Petrov that he has not received his salaries which came from government for training the Filipino pole vaulter.
Once the probe went public, Obiena denied there was mishandling of funds and that he has paid Petrov of his salaries.
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