Photo from facebook.com/EJObiena

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is involved in a controversy after being accused by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) of embezzlement for allegedly falsifying liquidation documents of payments made to his Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov and currently facing an investigation.

Long before the controversy ignited, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Senior Vice President Sergey Bubka informed PATAFA President Philip Juico about the 26-year old pole vault star’s failure to pay Petrov with his coaching fees on a Whatsapp conversation last September 8. The said officials, together with the coach, conducted an audio conference on the next day, September 9, to discuss and clarify the payment issue. During the call, the notable mentor mentioned that EJ said he did not receive PATAFA’s financial assistance, and as a result, he has not been paid since 2018, the year he started training Obiena. After the conference, Bubka issued an affidavit regarding the problem to instigate an investigation.

The controversy ignited when two letters from Obiena’s mother federation addressed to him circulated online on November 21. As stated in the letters, the sixth-best pole vaulter in the world was instructed to return 85,000 euros to PATAFA, which amounts to 4.8 million in Philippine peso, after falsification of liquidations and failure to pay his coach’s salary was apparent based on Bubka and Petrov’s statements and financial documents submitted by him. Also, in the letter, his funds for his training in Italy would be discontinued until the issue is settled.

To address the issue and defend himself, Obiena released a statement in a press conference on the same day of the leakage of letters. “My own federation comes after me with pure aggression, no benefit of the doubt, and with intent to destroy my reputation,” Obiena said. The national athlete debunked the existence of Bubka and Petrov’s affidavits. “This is fraud, pure and simple.” He also reached out to a Price-Waterhouse-Cooper auditor to aid him in auditing the payments to justify his innocence.

He admitted that he submitted the liquidation documents late and in a “sloppy” fashion. He also stated that he requested several times to PATAFA to pay his coach and team directly instead of making him a middleman. The pole vaulter added that he would consider retirement and other options if the problem remains unsolved.

“I am unable to focus and to train properly with this hanging over my head. If you want a textbook example of how to destroy an athlete, you are seeing it right here,” Obiena uttered.

Vitaly Petrov joined in Obiena’s press conference to clear the name of his athlete and refute the existence of his supposed letter. “This situation is destroying this young man and ruining his chances to success now and in the future. I worked with many countries and sport federations. I must say, I do not understand what this federation is doing and what good comes out of destroying a fine young man. It is opposite and sets the Philippine track and field program back, and this is a shame.”

The UST student-athlete issued another statement to address PATAFA’s shifting testimony on November 24. According to him, the federation first accused him of embezzlement, but now, they redirected the issue into late payments.

On the same day, Juico explained their federation’s side on ANC News. He identified the three main issues, which are Bubka and Petrov’s complaints, reports of late payments, and late liquidations. He claimed that the payments to the national athlete's coach came from bank accounts from Germany, the Middle East, and Obiena’s mother.

Obiena tapped his legal team to assist him on his ongoing rift with his home federation in case there will be a legal battle between them to solve the issue. He also recently said he has no time for a “witch hunt,” which the PATAFA president denied.

The Olympian’s camp claimed to receive continuous passport offers before and in the middle of the controversy, but he reiterated his loyalty to his home country.