MANILA, Philippines – Kakandidato si Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico sa vice presidency race ng Asian Athletics Association.
Tinanggap ni AAA Secretary General Maurice Nicholas, miyembro ng asosasyon sapul noong 1973, ang kandidatura ni Juico.
Pinatunayan lamang nito ang pagkilala ng AAA sa pagiging presidente ng dating chairman ng Philippine Sports Commission sa PATAFA.
“I will push for the AAA’s support for the creation of the ASEAN Athletics Integration, which mimics the ASEAN Economic Integration using the ASEAN as one athletic development platform with each country assigned a specific role to play like championing and/or being the center of excellence for a particular athletics event/discipline,” sabi ni Juico na nagtulak sa kanyang panukala noong Nobyembre sa Singapore nang magpulong ang mga pangulo ng athletics associations sa ASEAN ukol sa pagbagsak ng kanilang kampanya sa athletics noong 2014 Asian Games sa Incheon.
Sinabi ni Juico, dating cabinet member (Agrarian Reform) ng Cory Aquino administration, na malaking papel ang ginagampanan ng bansa sa Asian athletics.
“It was through the efforts of the late Governor Jose Sering, father of PATAFA Vice President, Nicanor (Boy) Sering that the then AAAA or Four A’s (Asian Amateur Athletic Association) was born on November 21, 1973 during the first Asian Athletics Championships held in Marikina,” wika ni Juico.
Kasalukuyang naghahanda ang PATAFA para 2015 Philippine National Open-Invitational Athletics Championships sa Marso 19-22 sa Sta. Cruz, Laguna na bahagi ng paghahanda para sa Southeast Asian Games sa Singapore.