PHILIPPINE Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Philip Ella 'Popoy' Juico will contest the decision of the Philippine Olympic Committee executive board declaring him persona non-grata following the feud between the federation and pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
Juico claimed the POC executive board took action on an issue that is not part of their jurisdiction, saying the feud between Patafa and Obiena is an ‘intra-NSA’ or internal dispute that should be settled within the organization.
“Of course, we will fight it,” Juico told host Christian Esguerra in the ANC program After The Fact on Wednesday. “When they asked me to attend a hearing and the so-called clarificatory meeting, we said that this is not within their jurisdiction.
"This is an intra-NSA issue and under their own constitution, such intra-NSA issues are to be resolved first within the NSA and only when there is no satisfactory solution can the POC come in."
'We will contest that'
Juico said Patafa came up with its own board resolution ruling that the POC executive board meeting is invalid.
“We will contest that. We will go all away to wherever we need to go,” said Juico.
Ten out the 12 executive board members on Tuesday voted to declare Juico persona non-grata on the recommendation of the POC’s ethics committee, which ruled that Juico ‘harassed’ and made ‘malicious public statements’ against Obiena after Patafa conducted an internal probe in relation to the salaries of his coach Vitaly Petrov.
The executive board’s decision will still have to be ratified by at least three-fourths of the general assembly to be final.
“They say that this is not an intra-NSA because Mr. Obiena complained about my harassment of him as president, but he is a member of the Patafa so it’s an issue between the management and the board in this case and him.
"It’s not me against him. It’s the Patafa itself and the issues raised against him in the investigation that was conducted was because of certain money matters. Wala ‘yung harassment doon,” said Juico.
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