NEWS
POC’s suspension of PATAFA paves way for Obiena to join SEA Games
March 17, 2022 3:53 p.m.
THE Philippine Olympic Committee Executive Board suspended the national sports associations of athletics and tennis during its special meeting on Thursday, a move that opened the door for world-ranked pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena to participate at least in the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games in May.
POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the Philippine Tennis Association was suspended for its non-compliance with an order from the International Tennis Federation to amend its charter and hold fresh elections to select a truly representative set of board members.
The Philta has been serving a two-year suspension by the ITF since late 2020 and the sanction faces extension unless the NSA complies with the world tennis body’s instruction.
The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, Tolentino said, was also suspended for failing to serve its purpose as an NSA, which supposedly “has the dedication and commitment toward the development of the sport, promoting the ideals of the Olympic Movement and the spirit of sportsmanship.”
“Our constitution states that POC may suspend for any reason. However, it’s transparent that PATAFA has deliberately and intentionally disregarded our basic principles of promoting sports and development,” Tolentino said.
“Unfortunately, the non-endorsement of EJ has created a national issue,” Tolentino added. “EJ Obiena, under our International Olympic Committee Charter, has two reasons to be endorsed—sports merit and inspiration to the youth.”
Tolentino said that despite sincere efforts by Obiena to mediate, “PATAFA prioritized its pride, and it saddens [me] to look closely on a chance slowly gripping away. They have withheld an opportunity of the Filipino people to have another world record.”
PATAFA denied Obiena’s request that he be endorsed to the world indoor championships that start Friday in Belgrade as well as to the Vietnam SEA Games, Eugene (Oregon) world championships in July and Hangzhou (China) Asian Games in September.
“The time is clearly now for EJ who is mentally and physically prepared,” Tolentino said. “We are in a reachable milestone within our grasp.”
The suspension will be effective for 90 days and will be ratified by the POC General Assembly during its regular meeting on March 30. If ratified, PATAFA will not have any authority over the national athletics team to the SEA Games, giving Obiena a chance to defend his gold medal in Vietnam.
But Tolentino said both suspensions could be dismissed sooner than their terms.
“If PHILTA complies with the ITF order, and the ITF accepts PHILTA’s compliance, the suspension of the tennis association will be lifted immediately,” he said.
For the PATAFA, it looked simpler.
“If the PSC’s mediation effort over PATAFA and EJ [Obiena] is completed and ironed out, its suspension will also be lifted,” said Tolentino, adding a separate resolution on the automatic lifting of the suspensions were also forged by the board.
Nine members of the board voted for the suspension, while two—Charlie Ho (netball) and Cynthia Carrion-Norton (gymnastics) abstained. POC Chairman Steve Hontiveros and International Olympic Committee Representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski were absent from the special board meeting.
The suspensions will give the POC direct supervision over PHILTA and PATAFA’s national athletes—including Obiena—coaches and sporting officials, while financial matters will be under the control of the Philippine Sports Commission.
“These suspensions are actually not a landmark decision by the POC,” Tolentino said. “We have at least two precedents when similar athlete-NSA issues rocked Philippine sports in the past.”
Former Asian sprint queen De vega was endorsed by the POC, then under the late Gov. Jose Sering, for her participation in the Asean Cup.
The late Leopoldo Serantes, Tolentino said, could not have clinched a boxing bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics if the POC didn’t endorse his participation. The boxing association at that time was experiencing leadership intramurals between Roilo Golez and Mel Lopez.
The suspensions were meted a day after Senator Pia Cayetano led the filing of a motion to cite the PATAFA in contempt for disobeying the Senate Committee on Sports’ order for PATAFA’s to amicably settle its differences with Obiena.
The contempt charges also stemmed from the PATAFA filing a case against Obiena and the POC with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. PATAFA filed the case with the CAS four days after it agreed to undergo mediation during a Senate hearing on February 7.
“PATAFA filed a case before the CAS in Switzerland. This is an act of bad faith, as PATAFA practically and effectively closed any possibility of amicable settlement with Obiena,” Cayetano said.
NEWS
DITO delivers superior network performance, turning digital aspirations into possibilities
8:11 p.m. August 28, 2025
DITO Telecommunity showcased how superior connectivity transforms Filipino digital aspirations into achievable realities during the successful media launch of the telco’s latest campaign, Kaya DITO, held at Manila House, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
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NEWS
Pay with GCash and turn daily payments into big wins
11:39 a.m. August 27, 2025
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NEWS
‘Gender dimension’ will make urban spaces more inclusive, useful — expert
11:12 a.m. August 26, 2025
Urban planners must consider the “gender dimension” to make public spaces more inclusive and allow better use of infrastructures designed to make users move comfortably, according to a US-based expert supporting movements for greater public mobility.
Benjie de la Peña, CEO of the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and chair of the Global Network for Popular Transportation, said buildings, walkways or sidewalks, and transport terminals should not be mere infrastructures as they must be public spaces where people should be able to move comfortably.
Engineers tend to think of efficiency and movement alone and they don’t think about the waiting part, right? … It’s always about the moving and not about the waiting. But in a good system, you think about how it is to wait and dwell,” De la Peña told participants of the Philippine Mobility Series 2025’s “Mobility Chat” recently.
For instance, De la Peña said, women and caregivers have different trip patterns from men and regular office workers, hence, the significance to create mobility hubs for women, as well as caregivers.
In their analysis, De la Peña noted that in most cities, available public transport services go to the employment areas and serves particular times, but that’s not how women and caregivers move.
“They sometimes have to stop over at school to drop off the kids, or on the way home, stop over and pick up a grocery, or if they’re caring for someone older, they have to take them to the doctor or to the pharmacy. And so, none of the public transportation systems are particularly friendly to that,” said the Filipino urban transport expert.
“This is precisely why Grab in the Philippines is supporting the Philippine Mobility Series 2025. We need to hear more civilian voices. We need a platform to allow exchanges of ideas to flow in order to improve mobility in the country,” according to Booey Bonifacio of Grab.
After interviewing 100 women aged 11 to 95 on their transportation needs and challenges, De la Peña noted how the framework they designed had radically changed when gender dimension was added.
If we design for the people with the most challenges, it works better for everyone else,” De la Peña told the “Mobility Chat” organized by AltMobility PH and co-presented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and in partnership with Grab and the Move As One Coalition.
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