EMBATTLED athletics chief Philip Ella Juico branded the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) decision to declare him persona non grata as “railroaded” and executed without due process.
“There was no due process because there was no division of the house,” Juico said in a statement on Wednesday. “Instead, the POC claimed that a pre-circulated resolution was signed by 36 POC members who affixed their signatures [without any] resolution having presented during the General Assembly for voting.”
Juico furthered: “Neither I nor several others POC members received this resolution as the same resolution to be voted on during the General Assembly.”
Juico said in the same statement that the POC Notice dated January 3 (2022) clearly stated that “the matter will be reported and taken up during the Regular General Assembly scheduled on 12 January 2022.”
“Nothing was taken up,” he said. “The POC did not give any opportunity for the General Assembly to verify this 36-member pre-approved resolution.”
“I may now be persona non grata in the eyes of the POC, but this will not distract us in our quest for truth, accountability, transparency and justice in our federation,” he said. “If this is the price I have to pay for holding my athlete accountable, so be it. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I will step out of the POC with my head held high.”