Philip Juico

This article or section appears to be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Phillip Juico
4th Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission
In office 1996–1998
Preceded by	Mel Lopez
Succeeded by	Carlos Tuazon
3rd Secretary of Agrarian Reform
In office July 23, 1987 – July 1, 1989
Preceded by	Heherson T. Alvarez
Succeeded by	Miriam Defensor Santiago
Personal details
Nationality	Filipino
Spouse(s)	Margarita Penson
Children	4
Alma mater	De La Salle University

Philip Ella Juico is a Filipino sports official. He is the president of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), the NSA for athletics in the Philippines, since 2015.^[1][2]

Juico served as Secretary of Agrarian Reform from 1987 to 1989. He was Dean of the Graduate School of Business of De La Salle Professional Schools in the Philippines from 2002 to 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Education[]

Philip Juico studied at the De La Salle University. He finished his elementary and high school studies in La Salle in 1961 and 1965 respectively. He obtained his AB-BSC degree in the same institution in 1970.^[3]

Career[]

Government[]

On July 22, 1987 President Corazon Aquino signed Proclamation No. 131 which instituted the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) as a major program of the government. It provided for a special fund known as the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF), with an initial amount of Php50 billion to cover the estimated cost of the program from 1987-1992. Juico was appointed by Aquino to lead the CARP program. ^[4]

Juico served as Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1987 to 1989 under President Corazon Aquino.^[3]

Juico resigned in 1989 after the Garchitorena land scam, as the case became known, undermined Aquino's agrarian reform program and prompted an investigation of government officials allegedly involved in it. Juico had been accused of violating an anti-corruption law by signing a land-purchase agreement that would have cost the government about $2.7 million in losses. The 4,660 acres of largely non-arable, hilly land in Garchitorena, Camarines Sur province, was purchased for about $142,600 by a private firm, which then tried to sell it to the government less than a year later for nearly $2.9 million.^{[needs copy edit][5]}

Juico was exonerated in the case by the Sandiganbayan, a special anti-graft court, on July 16, 1992. The court found there was no proof that Juico took part in any "willful attempt to defraud the government." and he was not obliged "to personally scrutinize all the technical and legal details" of the land deal. Thus court upheld Juico's denials of accusations by congressional critics that he had been negligent in signing a January 1989 agreement to buy the overvalued land for distribution to farmers.^{[needs copy edit][5]}

Juico ran in the 1992 House of Representatives elections with Aquino's endorsement but was defeated.^[5]

Sports administration[]

Juico is also the fourth chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) of the government from 1996 to 1998. He also has served as chairman of the Philippine Super Liga, a women's volleyball league. In 2015, Juico was elected as president of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA). He was reelected to the post in 2021.^[3]

He is also the Vice President and Chairman of the School and Youth Commission of the Asian Athletics Association.^[6]

Obiena controversy[]

In 2021, as PATAFA president, Juico publicly escalated a PATAFA accounting dispute with Ernest John Obiena, PATAFA's star Olympic pole vaulter, over late payments to his coach, Vitaly Petrov. It was later revealed during Senate hearings that PATAFA also delayed payment funding to athletes, often by many months, and some considered PATAFA's system broken.^[7] Senate hearings were held and PATAFA was criticized for its governance of athletes, with complaints of athletes being burdened with accounting tasks such as currency conversions, managing team payments and managing cash flow.^[8]

After an investigation by its Ethics Committee, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) declared Juico as persona non grata for his role in the harassment of the athlete. The investigation of the POC's ethics committee concluded that Juico had harassed the athlete by making "malicious public accusations".^[9][10] Senator Manny Pacquiao lauded the decision: “With this action of the POC, I think that the most honorable thing to do for Mr. Juico is to resign".^[11] The commission was presented evidence that Juico colluded to create untruthful statements, attempted confidentiality breaches and interferred with sponsorship discussions. These issues were considered unethical and violative of the provisions of the by-laws of the POC, specifically on uplifting the level of performance of Filipino athletes. The POC stated that Juico was given the opportunity to defend against accusations to his conduct but Juico declined due process. Juico responded that the POC had no jurisdiction over NSAs. The POC clarified its legal prerogative to declare anybody persona non grata and that PATAFA was not penalized, nor was Juico removed, suspended or reprimanded.^[12][13]

Honor and recognition[]

The De La Salle University has inducted Juico in 2001 to its Sports Hall of Famers in 2001 for his contribution to Philippine sports.^[3]

Personal life[]

Juico is married to Margarita Penson. They have four children, including their youngest, incumbent Quezon City 1st District councilor Mayen Juico.^[14]

References[]

This Filipino biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

• v
• t