PATAFA chief Popoy Juico to contest POC decision to declare him persona non grata

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella "Popoy" Juico said he plans to contest the decision of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to declare him persona non grata over the spat between pole vaulter EJ Obiena and the federation.

Juico claimed that the POC ordered a resolution of an issue that is not within their jurisdiction, saying the matter is an "intra-NSA" issue and should be resolved first within the PATAFA.

"Of course, we will fight it. When they asked me to attend a hearing, a so-called clarificatory hearing, we said that this is not within their jurisdiction," Juico said on Wednesday in an ANC interview. 

"This is an intra-NSA issue and under their own constitution, the Philippines Olympic Committee's constitution, such NSA issues are to be resolved first within the NSA and only when there is no satisfactory solution can the POC come in."

The POC earlier said it is declaring the embattled Juico a persona non grata based upon the recommendation of its ethics committee, which concluded that Juico harassed the Filipino Olympian by making public accusations.

Juico, for his part, said he did not harass Obiena and stressed the issue is between him and the PATAFA.

"Now, they say that this is not an intra-NSA because Mr. Obiena complained about my harassment of him as president. But he is a member of the PATAFA so it's an issue between the management and the board in this case and him," Juico said.

"So it's not me against him. It's not PATAFA itself. And the issues raised against him and the investigation being conducted was because of certain money matters."

In late November, Obiena was ordered to return 85,000 Euros or over P4 million worth of financial assistance due to PATAFA's claims of falsified liquidation and failure of payment to coach Vitaliy Petrov.

—JMB, GMA News