00:00EJ Obiena's top-fall boulder, 85,000 euros or 4.8 million pesos, was dismissed by his coach Vitaly Petro.
00:12I was to receive a letter from Patafa accusing me of de facto stealing the money intended for Mr. Vitaly Petro.
00:19Obiena released his salary on the decision of Patafa to remove him from the national team.
00:24Although he was saddened by the committee's recommendation, he was not surprised.
00:29He went to the court to clear his name and his family.
00:332021, because this has something to do with your relationship also with your mother.
00:37That big controversy happened with Patafa.
00:41This story is over.
00:43Yeah.
00:44That chapter of your life deeply hurt you and your family.
00:49Yeah.
00:50I would say.
00:52Pero I want to know, EJ, now as we talk, have you forgiven the people you think wronged you and your family?
01:02Yeah.
01:03Yeah.
01:04I would say.
01:05Most of them, I understood in the position that they were in.
01:10I get it.
01:11It's not something I would take against them.
01:14And right now, it's like, it's not even I feel bad or happy or anything.
01:18I feel indifferent.
01:20I think that's when I can truly say I move on and really put that in my rear view.
01:26We're just talking about it because that must have been painful.
01:29Because misappropriation of funds, embezzlement.
01:32I remember this.
01:33I mean, these are the headlines.
01:34There were Senate hearings.
01:36There were recommendations to file charges against you and your mom.
01:41Your mother abonned a certain amount, P600,000 because your allowance was being delayed.
01:47There were recommendations to file charges against your mother.
01:52Looking back, how did it affect your relationship with your mother?
01:58Especially because she was the one involved in that controversy.
02:03You know, leading up to that, our relationship kind of took a toll, to be honest.
02:08Because I was saying, pinibenta mo ko eh.
02:11Because she was working with the federation.
02:16Who was working with the federation?
02:17My mom.
02:18So she was working for the federation.
02:20So you were mad with mom?
02:22I was angry.
02:23I was like, most of the time, I was like, I don't want to deal with this guy.
02:26I don't want to.
02:27Like, why?
02:28Why?
02:29Why?
02:30Like, her job was kids' athletics, which is totally disconnected to my position as an athlete.
02:40And she was not hired because she was my mom.
02:43She was hired because she's capable to do her job.
02:46So I keep telling her, you're not my mom in Patapa.
02:49If they want to talk to me, they can call me.
02:52They have my number, they have all of this.
02:53We had this conversation multiple times.
02:55Because I didn't want na kami yung magbabanggaan.
03:00If they ask me of something that I cannot give the federation, then they should ask it directly to me.
03:07I remember when that thing blew up, and I was like, what is this money that they're talking about?
03:12This and this.
03:13I didn't know that she actually put that 600,000 of her own money.
03:18Hindi niya alam na nag-abono.
03:19Hindi mo alam na nag-abono ang money.
03:21I didn't know.
03:22Yeah, because I was, of course, pushing.
03:24I was like, hey, where's the fund?
03:26Where's the fund?
03:27No, Lutis.
03:28I didn't know.
03:29Nung nagkataon na, we're bookkeeping, and I was looking at my statements, and she's looking at her statements.
03:35I think it was like 3 a.m.
03:37I was getting really frustrated, to the point where I said, you know, you might be the reason why I cannot fight this.
03:47Because I have a smoking gun.
03:50I have a lot of things that I can fire, but figuratively, it's like if I fire it, they're within the line of fire.
04:01And I kept feeling that I can't express everything that I could.
04:06Because she was there.
04:07Yes, and it's tough.
04:09Kasi, she was very loyal to the Federation.
04:12She was really doing everything that she can.
04:15And to see her own friends, per se, really kind of turn against her and use their friendship to really hurt me,
04:24because they know that I care for my family, it made me pissed, really.
04:30I wanted them to pay, but that moment, it's not a good feeling.
04:38It's not a good feeling, especially seeing your faces in headlines with all of this.
04:45I didn't even know what is embezzlement.
04:47I didn't know what is malversation.
04:49When I received that letter, that email, I googled it, because I didn't know.
05:00Hey!
Comments