Sporting Chanc

You can understand why the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) isn't too keen on Atleta or the Athletes Assistance Program that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is launching in Malacañang on May 10.

Atleta's goal is to raise P150 Million a year for 60 athletes in 15 priority sports. The POC is wondering what will happen to the country's other elite athletes not in the priority list.

To give you an idea of how many athletes there are in the national pool, check out the PSC's roster. Last year, the PSC supported 824 athletes. Does that mean 764 athletes will be disenfranchised because of Atleta? Not so. Remember that the PSC enjoys an annual subsidy from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). The amount it draws from PAGCOR and PCSO will be used to finance the requirements of the elite athletes not picked for Atleta.

The reality is the budget for sports is not an unlimited pit. This year, the PSC has only P130 Million to spend for assistance to athletes. The figure used to be so much bigger before - P500 Million from PAGCOR and about P40 Million from PCSO. Last year, the PSC disbursed P183 Million for athletes, coaches, and equipment staff.

PSC commissioner Monico Puentevella said the POC should be grateful that the PSC is launching Atleta.

"Atleta isn't for the PSC, it's for the POC and the National Sports Associations (NSAs)," he said.

In a STAR interview, Puentevella challenged the NSAs to show a higher return on investment from the funds they receive from the PSC. "Last year, we got only one gold at the Asian Games - from billiards - and 20 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games," he said. "We're supporting over 900 athletes and coaches but we sent only 200 to the last Southeast Asian Games in Brunei and only 15 will go to Sydney. Maybe, we're supporting too many athletes. Maybe, the NSAs should cut down on their list of elite athletes - that way, their savings can go to fund participation in more international competitions. Look at Go Teng Kok's example in athletics. He reduced his national pool and got the savings to spend on more international exposure."

Puentevella said the PSC isn't ignoring the educational aspect of grassroots development. In June, he said DECS Secretary Bro. Andrew Gonzalez will announce a special curriculum for athletes-in-training. Regional training centers will also be mobilized in line with Batang Pinoy. There are also plans to build a new sports complex to replace the Rizal Memorial, perhaps in the reclaimed portion of Manila Bay or in a site like the Centennial Expo in San Fernando, Pampanga.

Puentevella clarified that projects such as the Palaro Ng Bayan and Palarong Pambansa are not funded by the PSC. However, he noted that the PSC assists in organizing the events with the support of NSAs.

"We're fortunate that there are provincial leaders like Governors Joey Lina, Lito Coscolluela and Bongbong Marcos who are promoting sports in their level," said Puentevella. "Obviously, grassroots sports development is something the PSC can't do alone. It requires cooperation and a lot of resources from various sectors."

Puentevella described the search for new talents as "an elaborate process." He said: "The financial component of this process is tremendous. That is why the PSC is collaborating and in fact, patiently partnering with all willing stakeholders just to sustain this expensive talent identification program. There is no question that a talent test sometimes leads to substantial allocation of funds."

PSC commissioner Richie Garcia explained that Atleta is unlike former PSC chairman Philip Juico's fund-raising program involving government institutions. "This is private in nature," said Garcia who's in charge of Atleta. "We hope to reach out to big business to support elite athletes. Our target is P2.5 Million a year for each athlete - that puts us up to par with world standards. That should be enough to ensure international exposure and training for our athletes."

Garcia said contributions to Atleta will be tax-exempt. Funds are to be channeled through the PSC for control purposes and the athletes will be the direct beneficiaries. Donors will be asked to support Atleta until the 2004 Olympics.

Atleta's priority sports are athletics, archery, boxing, bowling, fencing, golf, gymnastics, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, karatedo, lawn tennis and wushu. Its focus is to train potential medalists at the 2002 Asian Games in Pusan and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.