THE city of Manila led by Mayor Honey Lacuna, honored its ‘son’ from Tondo, pole vaulter Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena, in fitting ceremonies at the Manila City Hall’s flagraising ceremony yesterday.
In the affair attended by Manila officials and City Councilors, among others, Lacuna was joined by Vice Mayor Yul Servo and Tondo Councilor Uno Lim (2nd district ) in citing Obiena for bringing so much pride and honor not only to the city of Manila but the country as well. The 26-year-old athlete, whom Lacuna called, ‘Batang Tondo, was also handed a P300,000 check by Lacuna as a reward and to help in his expenses as he continues to hone his skills. Obiena hails from the second district of Tondo.
Obiena was also presented by Lacuna with four Manila City Council resolutions, citing him for his exemplary achievements and for constantly bringing honor to the city.
“We cannot measure the honor that EJ brought to our country, especially to the city of Manila,” the mayor said.
It was learned that Obiena was also awarded as an “Outstanding Manilan” in the recently-concluded “Araw ng Manila” marking the city’s founding anniversary.
“We need to embrace the challenges and not the fear and apprehension. Let’s continue to dream with the determination to achieve success. Just trust yourself and trust in God. That’s what EJ Obiena did, which I hope we can all emulate,” Lacuna said.
Obiena has held the Philippine national record in pole vaulting with a record of 5.55 meters which he accomplished on April 29, 2016 at the 78th Singapore Open Championships in Kallang, Singapore.
He later broke the Asian Athletics Championships record with 5.71 meters on April 21, 2019 on its 23rd biennial meet at Doha, Qatar which earned him the coveted gold medal finish. He currently holds the National Record which he broke in the same event.
Obiena is currently ranked as the world’s third-best active men’s pole vaulter, as per the World Athletics . He is the first Filipino to have been given a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation (IAAF). (Baby Cuevas)
