Danea Ruby Car dones Mayor

In urging Dabawenyos to take part in the 3-day vaccination drive targetting 50,000 individuals:

Now that we are a few numbers away from achieving herd immunity, we are hopeful that this may contribute to an easier and more smooth-sailing transition to the new normal.”

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio EDITORIAL

Not again

The Philippines could lose another world-class athlete and potential Olympic medalist in pole vaulter EJ Obiena.

Obiena is the subject of controversy involving him and PATAFA, the national sports association for athletics. Because the two personalities are bound by a law RA. 6847, the government’s sports agency Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) becomes a necessary party.

PSC is the creation of RA 6847 and is the funding agency for elite athletes like EJ. PATAFA supervises the training of athletes like EJ who receives money from the PSC for his allowance and training.

EJ, who trains in Italy under the great Vasily Petrov, is the current world no. 5 in pole vault. On a good day, EJ could beat the anyone ahead of him including the no. 1. So it is safe to say, we have a potential Olympic medalist and world champion in EJ. Petrov, coach of pole vault great Sergei Bubka, is paid 2000 euros monthly for coaching EJ. The situation is unique in that EJ does the disbursements himself, not PATAFA or PSC. Essentially, in EJ’s case the burden of administrative work was passed to an athlete instead of his association or the government. How was this even arranged given the stringent government disbursement procedures and the policy of PSC of ‘no liquidation no funding’ is in itself baffling.

The PSC has submitted the matter for mediation but the parties have yet to respond.

It’s just unfortunate that an athlete of such caliber as EJ is facing this stressful issue. We have already lost chess Super Grandmaster Wesley So to the USA and reigning US Women’s Open golf champion Yuka Saso to Japan. We cannot afford to lose EJ who has received a number of foreign passport offers.

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