Snafu is an American slang that is short for “situation normal all fouled up.”
It means “a confused or chaotic state, a mess.”
This is exactly what is going on at PATAFA, PSC and the POC which all got embroiled with the mess created by allegations of fund mis-appropriation against pole vaulter EJ Obiena.
I wrote then that the Philippine Sports Commission should handle the matter exclusively. This is because the money involved in the controversy comes from government coffers directly from the taxpayers.
Since this is government money, PATAFA which threatened to file criminal charges against Obiena, dId not have the juridical prerogative to do so.
The PSC, being the government agency that released the money, is legally the entity that should conduct the probe and prosecute Obiena, if it were necessary.
PATAFA could have only recommended that Obiena be probed for the mishandling of funds meant for the payment of his foreign coach’ monthly salary..
If proven guilty by the PSC Investigation, then PATAFA can effectively proceed to de-list and drop EJ from the roster of the national athletics team.
If this procedure had been initially observed, then the Philippine Olympic Committee, in its effort to assist and protect EJ, would not have gone to the extent of declaring PATAFA president Philip Juico “persona non grata.”
The above procedure would have also prevented some uninvolved third parties from issuing statements that tended to cast aspersions and add more fuel to the fire.
What about the Athletes’ Commission? Why did it not raise a howl or a hoot? The AC is supposed to represent the athletes in the umbrella organization that is the POC.
The PSC should make everybody understand that the matter involves government money. Ergo, it is sufficient to assume that from hereon, only PSC Chair Butch Ramirez or his authorized representative can issue oficial statements regarding the status and progress of the EJ Obiena probe.
It is good that the Tokyo Olympian has submitted to the polite request of Ramirez.
I would have kept my peace since writing my first reaction about a month ago. I thought the PSC’s message to PATAFA to settle the misunderstanding surrounding the financial circumstances amicably already helped subside the fire.
Amusingly, PATAFA is chaired by a congressman, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro) while POC is likewise chaired by another member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Bambol Tolentino (Tagaytay City) who is head honcho of the cycling association.
(If it would interest readers, yours truly used to sit in the PATAFA board during the incumbency of now retired PATAFA president Go Teng Kok.)
Take it from Butch.
As they say, all’s well that ends well. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
