PSC chair leaves new board P1.3B

MANILA, Philippines – The next Philippine Sports Commission leadership will have a massive budget when it takes over in July.

“We’re proud to say the next PSC leadership will have money in its coffers because we saved about P1.3 to P1.4 billion in our six years here,” said outgoing PSC chair Richie Garcia yesterday.

“With that amount, he or she would not be encountering money problems,” he added.

Garcia said his successor could use the money to fund the construction of a new training center outside congested, polluted Manila and Pasig City where majority of the national athletes are currently billeted.

“They could use it as seed money to build training centers,” he said.

The amount saved by the government sports-funding agency came from its cost-cutting and belt-tightening measures, including cutting off the list delinquent National Sports Associations that have failed to liquidate funds advanced to them.

Garcia, however, clarified the money saved was not at the expense of the athletes and the country’s sports programs.

“We weren’t negligent in giving our athletes and NSAs support. In fact, it is in my term when the athletes’ monthly salary was raised. In my first year, they received only P7,000 to P8,000 a month but gold medalists now receive P43,000 plus P40,000-worth of training,” said Garcia.

Athletics, now headed by Philip Ella Juico, is the biggest recipient of PSC funding pegged at P40 million a year while boxing and wushu come next at more than P30 million annually.

Garcia also said that the national differently abled athletes start to get monthly stipend worth P8,000 to P9,000 plus free billeting.

That is apart of the amended National Athletes Incentives Act that also included handing out incentives to performing national differently abled athletes.

“I’m proud to say that we started giving them a monthly stipend and a free board and lodging during my stay,” said Garcia.