The House of Representatives has commended and congratulated Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Uy Obiena for bagging the silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary last August 26.
The message of commendation is contained in Resolution 1255, which the House adopted unanimously on Wednesday.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, Senior Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre authored the resolution.
The authors cited Obiena’s numerous accomplishments in his chosen field of sport, describing him as a “Filipino Olympian and internationally renowned and multi-awarded pole vaulter.”
They said the Filipino athlete “steadily ascended and reached the standard to qualify for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary by perfecting his pole vaulting skills and showing exceptional progress after finishing with a bronze medal during the previous World Athletics Championships held in Oregon, United States of America.”
They said Obiena was the “only Filipino to stand on the medal podium of the 2023 World Athletics Championships.”
The resolution enumerated the pole vaulter’s other achievements, including: a gold medal in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway on June 10, 2023; another gold medal in the Orlen Cup held in Lodz, Poland on
February 5, 2023; gold medal in the Perche En Or indoor pole vaulting match in Roubaix, France on January 29, 2023; a gold medal during the True Athletes Classics in Leverkusen, Germany on August 28, 2022;
Gold medal in the 26th Internationales Stabhochsprung Meeting in Jockgrim, Germany on August 23, 2022; bronze medal in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA on July 24, 2022; gold medal in the Orlen Copernicus Cup held in Torun, Poland on February 22, 2022; and a gold medal in the Orlen Cup held in Lodz, Poland on February 11, 2022.
The resolution states that Obiena set an Asian record when he finished first at the International Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria on September 12, 2021.
“Dominating the international competitions in the field of pole vaulting, the performance par excellence of Ernest John ‘EJ’ Uy Obiena deserves the highest commendation and distinction for the honor and glory he brought to the country,” they said.
The House will send a copy of the resolution to the Filipino champion pole vaulter.