Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 16) – Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena on Friday said the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has cleared him from accountability over the liquidation issue he was embroiled in.
“The liquidation of all my funds have been cleared by the PSC with the attached Credit Notice from COA (Commission on Audit),” Obiena wrote in a social media post that showed a copy of a letter from the sports commission.
In the document, the PSC listed the financial assistance granted for his training and noted the list to be, “in order.” It added that any notice of suspension or disallowance had not been issued.
“We now have closure,” Obiena pointed out.
The news came after the athlete’s months-long rift with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), which accused him of embezzling training funds and falsifying liquidation reports, particularly on the salary of his Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena denied PATAFA’s allegations, but admitted making late payments to his mentor due to his tight schedule training for and competing in tournaments. He also blasted PATAFA for neglecting his concerns while he was training alone in Italy, saying he even shouldered the bank transfer fees to pay Petrov’s salary.
On March 30, the PSC announced that Obiena and PATAFA had settled their dispute.
The pole vaulter thanked his supporters and said he now intends to focus on training with PATAFA for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games set next month.
“We now eye with 100% focus the upcoming SEA Games. We will do our very best to represent Philippines,” he said.
