MANILA, Philippines — National athletes and coaches would have to learn to tighten their belts after the Philippine Sports Commission recently sliced their monthly stipend in half citing enormous budget cut to the agency amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said the National Sports Development Fund, from which their allowances are taken, have considerably diminished because of the global health malady.
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He also said the action, which will start in June but disbursed in July, was taken in order to sustain giving national team members until the end of the year.
Truly, it was better than nothing.
“This is a hard decision to make, but one that needed to be done so we can continue caring for our athletes longer,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez, however, stressed that once the NSDF reaches a comfortable level again, their allowances will be restored to the present rate.
The PSC had already taken steps to cut back on its expenses and save money by discontinuing contracts of its sports coordinators, consultants and job order employees.
It is also planning non-extension of contracts of some foreign coaches.
The money intended for national team members are usually sourced from remittances from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
But since casinos are closed due to the health crisis, their budget took a massive hit.
The Nationals can take solace to the fact that in less than a month, they would start getting 20% discounts on goods, food, medicine, transportation and services similar to the ones seniors citizens and differently able individuals receive.
Only athletes and coaches who joined international competitions with no prizes like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympics can avail of the incentive.