By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Butch Ramirez has assured the national coaches and their coaches that they will continue to receive their allowances in light of the continued lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ramirez said they are looking at the athletes’ welfare with the current situation after training and scheduled competitions here and abroad were halted following the global health crisis.
“If the contagion continues, we have to act positively. I remember one leadership principle is to be alert with the present environment and move forward,” said Ramirez.
The PSC chief also said salaries of the government sports agency’s employees will also continue despite closing its facilities due to the outbreak.
“Our athletes, coaches and employees understand the situation and I hope that they will react positively,” he said.
Some of its officials, though, are doing the extra work of providing assistance to athletes and coaches billeted at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City who were unable to return home to their respective provinces.
There are 28 athletes, four Filipino coaches and two Korean coaches being assisted at the said complex.
“These are extraordinary times which call for extraordinary commitment and service from all of us,” Ramirez said in an earlier interview, adding that they will be provided with food, recreation facilities and medical monitoring.
The agency is also ensuring the sanitation activities on both venues.
As early as last weekend, the PSC has asked its athletes to return home until the quarantine is lifted.
In previous announcements, the agency locked down its two major facilities in Manila: the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Vito Cruz and the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee President Bambol Tolentino urged athletes and coaches to be extra cautious if they plan on training at home.
“We should follow the government,” he said.
