Philip Juico resigns as PATAFA president

Philip Juico has left his post as the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president after the longtime official submitted his resignation from the position he has held since 2014.

In a statement, PATAFA said Juico resigned during a board meeting on Saturday at the Makati Diamond Residences in Makati City.

Juico, who still has until November 2024 in his term, will be replaced by former PATAFA Executive Vice President and Secretary General Agapito Capistrano. Juico, though, will remain in the board as he was elected as Chairman Emeritus.

"Dr. Juico will be remembered for many local and international initiatives. Since taking over PATAFA from Go Teng Kok in 2014, Dr. Juico was instrumental in helping conceptualize and put in place various governance, integrity and transparency reforms in World Athletics upon the assumption of Olympic gold medalist Lord Sebastián Coe as President of World Athletics (WA)," said PATAFA in a statement.

In a separate statement, Juico said: "PATAFA shall always remain steadfast to its core values of integrity, honesty, competence and sincerity, the same values required of all PATAFA athletes, coaches and other stakeholders.”

“I am not leaving PATAFA or the sports community, as it is here where my heart lies but for now, I look forward to more family time and an opportunity to concentrate on personal and business interests and ventures and community advocacies.”

Prior to his resignation, Juico had a spat with pole vaulter EJ Obiena but both camps reached a settlement late in March with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) helping in mediation.

—JMB, GMA News