Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 5)— Malacañang on Wednesday vowed continued support for Olympic athlete EJ Obiena and expressed hope that his current dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) will be resolved soon.
“We continue to support all of our athletes, including our star pole vaulter EJ Obiena and we hope that whatever disagreements… hopefully they will all be threshed out,” acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a media briefing.
The Obiena-PATAFA rift once again hogged the limelight after the athletics body’s investigating panel recommended the removal of Obiena from the national team pool.
The committee also recommended the filing of an estafa complaint against Obiena, who has faced allegations of falsifying liquidation reports on the salary of his coach.
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The athlete told CNN Philippines earlier in the day that he was not surprised by PATAFA’s move to expel him from the national squad.
He reiterated his commitment to don the country’s colors in international competitions despite this development.
Meanwhile, Nograles said the Palace will wait for further developments on the issue.
“Documents, we have been told, have already been sent to the Philippine Sports Commission and the Commission on Audit, so let us await further development in that regard,” he noted.
