By NICK GIONGCO and KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The resumption of training of national athletes and the reinstatement of the budget cuts on their allowances are things keeping Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) leadership engrossed the past few days.
POC president Bambol Tolentino said during a video conference call on Monday that an appeal to the Inter-Agency Task Force would be forwarded to allow select athletes to going back to training camp
under rigid safety measures.
“We need to prepare for the opening of international travel and the (resumption of overseas) tournaments,” said Tolentino, noting that “if not later this year, definitely next year.”
“By that time siguro naman open na flights. Payagan na mag-train especially those who are seeking to qualify.”
Tolentino, also a Tagaytay congressman, believes restrictions are expected to loosen up further (starting) next month.
“By July, baka pumunta na sa modified GCQ na,” said Tolentino as the country prepares to ease up on restrictions with the coronavirus apparently no longer as widespread and contagious as before.
The Phlippines so far has four qualifiers for the rescheduled Tokyo Games: Boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, pole vaulter EJ Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Obiena is training in Formia, Italy, while Yulo is doing the same thing in Japan and Marcial and Magno are in the country but are unable to train properly owing to the lockdown in Luzon.
The POC said that around 50 other athletes from about 15 sports are aiming to qualify for Tokyo.
As for the allowances of the athletes that were reduced owing to budgetary constraints amid the pandemic, Tolentino insists that Congress can remedy the problem.
“I will lobby for this during the extension of the Bayanihan Act that national athletes will still get their monthly allowances in full.
After giving pride and glory as the overall champion in last year’s Southeast Asian Games with some of them now acting as frontliners.”
“Pipilitin nating ibalik yung mga portion na nabawasan ang kanilang allowances. I am doing this not as the POC President, but as a member of the House of Representatives. We will try to give back the amount that was taken from the Philippine Sports Commission’s (National
Sports Development Fund), na binalik sa National Treasury to fight COVID-19.”
Late last month, PSC announced that it had to cut the allowances in half as funds had to be realigned to help in the fight against COVID-19.
The PSC, however, said it would return to the old rate once remittances from the NSDF normalize.
Remittances are usually sourced from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), but the budget took a massive hit since casinos were ordered to shut down.
Ramirez said the PSC spends P30 to P70 million a month for athletes’ allowances.
Last April, PAGCOR remitted P9.54 million to PSC – a far cry from the P99.72 million it released to the sports agency last March.
