Budget allocations for each of the national sports associations (NSAs) were discussed in a dialogue between the Philippine Sports Commission and 52 NSAs last Wednesday at the PSC main headquarters at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Metro Manila.
Also discussed during the dialogue led by PSC commissioner Celia Kiram in behalf of the PSC board were some changes that were implemented in the allowance policy for the athletes and coaches under each NSA.
“The board is listening while we deemed the changes reasonable, we also know that we need to get the input of the other side,” said Kiram during the dialogue.
PSC Acting Deputy Executive Director for Coordinating Secretariat and Support Services, Rachel Dumuk, who was also present, explained that the changes made were studied beforehand.
Dumuk added that in a research that they conducted, they found that our rates were at par, and at times, even higher than the rates set by other Southeast Asian countries.
“The rates set by the board were actually generous. We have to keep in mind that we are working on a limited budget which has to be spread out to 54 NSAs and over 1,000 athletes and coaches,” said Dumuk.
Among the changes is that there will no longer be a priority athletes program. The highest classification will now be “platinum” covering Olympic and world medalists. This classification is the elite of the elite with only eight national athletes qualifying, headed by Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz. They will receive P45,000 per month for one Olympic cycle.
There are five other classifications after the platinum — Class A athletes (world silver & bronze and Asian gold medalists, Class B (Asian silver & bronze and SEAG gold medalists), Class C (SEAG silver & bronze and SEA Championship and Cup medalists), training pool B (former medalists), and training pool A (new athletes, non-medalists).
Dumuk mentioned that the PSC board has earmarked P600 million for the 2018 funds of the NSAs.
“They will manage their budget and prioritize their activities and expenses,” she added.
Meanwhile, Kiram also discussed the preparations for the upcoming Batang Pinoy Mindanao Games set to unfold from March 6 to 12 in Oroquieta City.
“The Batang Pinoy is their first big sporting event, so Oroquieta is very excited to welcome us there. Their preparation is very thorough, especially with security,” said Kiram, who is also the oversight commissioner for the said event.
Almost 4,000 participants are expected to join the Mindanao leg of Batang Pinoy to vie for medals in 18 sports.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
