EJ Obiena declared he is now setting his sights on the 2021 Southeast Asian Games after he has been cleared by the Commission on Audit in relation to the liquidation of his expenses in his training and competition abroad.
Obiena posted in his Facebook post a credit notice indicating that his liquidation has been cleared by COA as well as the Philippine Sports Commission.
In the credit notice, COA said the expenditures worth P12 million were in order and that no Notice of Suspension or Notice of Disallowance were issued.
The amount included the reimbursement of fees worth P757,675 from May to November 2019, and fund assistance of P1.71 million from September 2020 to August 2021 for his coach Vitaly Petrov.
'Closure' for Obiena
"Five months long of events have finally come to a close," said Obiena, who added that he can now focus on his training in preparations including the Southeast Asian Games.
Obiena said the COA clearance is a closure to the issue that surrounded him and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.
Obiena and Patafa figured in a long-drawn spat after the federation conducted an internal investigation into the alleged mishandling of funds given to Obiena intended for the salary of coach Petrov.
But the two sides have since settled their differences following a mediation led by PSC chairman William Ramirez.
"We now have closure. I would like to be back and focus on training and competing for the country with my teammates in Patafa and its officials. We now eye with 100 percent focus the upcoming SEA Games. We will do our very best to represent Philippines," wrote Obiena.
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