THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) demanded for all the parties involved in the ongoing dispute between pole vaulter EJ Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) to allow the agency to do its part as mediator in the thorny issue facing Philippine sports.
In a strongly-worded statement during the virtual Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez asked all sides to stop issuing public statements and come to the table to discuss the matter.
[To get a better grip of the issue, here's a Timeline of the Obiena-Patafa rift]
Ramirez also encouraged the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to let the PSC handle the issue, especially after the agency struck a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center (PDRC) to help settle the matter.
“Without humility from both sides, EJ (Obiena), Patafa, and the POC, without humility, without generosity, respect, and forgiveness, it’s impossible to resolve the dispute,” said Ramirez.
“If EJ is listening, Patafa is listening, POC is listening, I know you have your own politics there, the PSC is just trying to resolve, protect and help the athletes, even protect Patafa for afterall Patafa is a good organization just like all NSAs.
"There’s no perfect athlete, there’s no perfect coach, there’s no perfect NSA, there’s no perfect POC, there’s no perfect PSC. That’s why humility, generosity, respect, and forgiveness are extremely important in the midst of mediation.”
Ramirez referred to the issue as a ‘simple liquidation compliance’ that went out of proportion.
The Patafa already agreed to the mediation, ditto with Obiena, who earlier declined the process the first time it was offered by the PSC last December.
At the same time, Ramirez said Patafa through Chairman Rufus Rodriguez, who is also Deputy House Speaker, already signified its willingness to certify the Filipino pole vaulter's request to receive the incentive he'll receive from the PSA as soon as possible for breaking the Asian record last year.
The 26-year-old alumnus of University of Santo Tomas set a new pole vault Asian record last September when he soared to 5.93 meters in winning the Golden Roof Challenge, erasing the previous mark of 5.92 owned by Igor Potapovich of Kazakhstan set in Dijon, France in 1992.
In a gesture of goodwill, the PSC also announced in the same forum that it is extending financial assistance to Obiena upon his request to undergo knee surgery, despite the fact he still have to complete his liquidation of funds.