PNA
25 Nov 2021, 15:15 GMT+10
MANILA - Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William "Butch" Ramirez has sent a "mediation submission agreement" to both EJ Obiena and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA).
Ramirez is now looking to become the bridge that might reconcile PATAFA and Obiena, Asia's pole vault record holder.
The agreement, aside from formalizing Ramirez as the mediator, also consists of the rules to be followed and where the meeting between Obiena and PATAFA officials would take place.
"The role of the mediator is merely to facilitate communication, identify issues and help the parties arrive at a settlement," Ramirez said on Thursday.
He clarified, however, that he will be as impartial as possible as they seek an agreement that would put the impasse to an end.
"My role as a mediator is not to decide who is right or wrong. We are after a win-win solution for both sides. The goal is to preserve relationships of the disputing parties," Ramirez further said.
After hearing both sides, the PSC board would convene to map out the next action step in resolving the row.
However, arbitration has been put in place as well if both PATAFA and Obiena fail to settle their differences 30 days after the mediation began.
Ramirez hopes that the impasse ends sooner as he is now worried at both Obiena and PATAFA president Philip Juico, a former PSC chairman.
"I am worried about them both. EJ is carrying this burden all alone overseas, away from family and friends. I am concerned about Mr. Juico's health. The earlier we can sit down and talk, the earlier we can resolve this," Ramirez said. (PNA)
Get a daily dose of Philippine Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Philippine Times.
More InformationBANGKOK, Thailand: Chinese authorities said they started live-fire military exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin this week, just days after...
ABOARD THE CHARLES DE GAULLE, Philippines: France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and its warships arrived in the Philippines over...
FRESNO, California: Fresno State suspended two of its top men's basketball players last weekend and removed a third player from the...
WARSAW, Poland: Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski confirmed over the weekend that Poland has been covering the cost of Ukraine's...
Israel sustained the West's support for its slaughter in Gaza for 15 months only through an intensive campaign of lies. It invented...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Pentagon announced this week that it will cut 5,400 jobs as part of President Donald Trump's plan to shrink the...
ATLANTA, Georgia: After two years of declining same-store sales, Home Depot finally saw a turnaround in the fourth quarter, fueled...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rallied on Friday as economic data showed the U.S. Federal Reserve has likely tamed inflation. The...
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Federal Reserve seemingly has inflation under control with the latest econbomic data confirming little push...
COPENHAGEN, Denmark: A remote Arctic facility designed to preserve the world's agricultural diversity is set to receive a major new...
LONON, U.K.: British Petroleum is set to abandon its ambitious renewable energy expansion targets in favor of a stronger focus on fossil...
WOLFSBURG, Germany: Volkswagen is strengthening its push into China's electric vehicle (EV) sector by partnering with CATL, the world's...