President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. received World No. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena in Manila’s Malacañang Palace on Friday.
Marcos was seen handing Obiena a medal and delivering a speech, across several images posted on his official Facebook page.
Marcos commended Obiena for his “greatest” accomplishment as a Filipino athlete in a brief video film posted on state-run Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM).
“Kami ay nagpapasalamat sa lahat ng iyong ginawa, sa dangal na idinala mo sa iyong bansa. I think that is the greatest tribute that you can give, the greatest service as you are an athlete now — that [what] you can give to our country is to bring honor to the Philippines,” said Marcos.
Malacañang has yet to provide any further information on their meeting.
Marcos also promised to support Obiena in his preparations for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“We look forward to the games in Paris, I hope you do well. If there’s anything that we can do to help you na maging mas maganda ang inyong resulta, at mas maganda maging training lahat ng ano sabihin ninyo sa akin,” said Marcos. “So, thank you very much and I congratulate not only you but also those of you who have supported our champion.”
