Garcia pinaboran ang pagkakaroon ng Department of Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Kinatigan kahapon ni Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia ang panukala ni Party List Rep. Mikee Romero sa pagkakaroon ng Department of Sports at pagtatayo ng bagong national training center.

“That’s the direction we want to go,” wika ni Garcia sa nasabing proposal ni Romero.

Kung maisasama ang DOS sa Gabinete ay mas makakakuha ito ng malakas na financial at manpower support mula sa Malacañang.

“A commission has a limited scope in terms of work and funding. If it’s a department, you can maintain regional offices nationwide mandated to hold inter-barangay, inter-school, LGU tournaments and other grassroots programs and make way for wider talent identification. It will be more efficient if you have personnel who will focus on those,” ani Garcia.

Tumatanggap ang PSC ng P180 milyon galing sa national budget.

Sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang setup, nakakakuha ang PSC ng pondo buhat sa remittances ng PAGCOR para sa training at foreign trips ng mga atleta.

“A department has its own budget. I just hope the DOS will have the same billion-peso budget like the other departments,” wika ni Garcia.

Sa pagbabago ng administration ay maaaring hindi na makita ni Garcia at ng PSC board ang maaaring kahinatnan ng DOS na ipinapanukala ni Romero.

“As of now, we’re waiting for the order from the President if we’ll stay. But we’re ready for any changes or whatever, we don’t have a problem at all (kung papalitan),” sabi ni Garcia.

“Our biggest frustration, if ever we leave, is we couldn’t get the PSC’s mandated 5 percent share from Pagcor and start the construction of a new training center. I’m confident these will come to fruition in the administration of President Duterte. Once we get funding and training I think we’re on the right track,” dagdag pa nito