Sports Mail

(Editor’s note: The following is the second part of the reply sent by Fr. Vic Uy, PSC commissioner and executive director, in reaction to Bill Velasco’s column on the PSC’s stand in the formation of national teams.)

MANILA, Philippines - “This is a form of government intervention, if and when it is implemented.”

What is government intervention? We funded practically all international exposures of the national athletes. We provide billeting, meals and training facilities. We support almost all the training and competition requirements of the athletes. The Philippine Olympic Committee and almost all NSAs are even given office space, and free-of-charge water and electricity.

The PSC has done rehabilitation works for the Boxing Gym, Athletes dormitories in Baguio and Philsports, Fencing Hall and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. We have already settled the P100 million PSC cash advances from Pagcor and the P50 million payments to suppliers – which were incurred to support the athletes’ participation in international competitions.

If government intervention means providing money to the NSAs, the athletes and the coaches blindly, then there is no need for PSC to exist, neither for the Commission on Audit to check the proper utilization of government funds,

The PSC maintains that the formation of PSC-RPAC is not a form of government intervention. RA 6847 mandates and equips the PSC of some policy and visitorial powers especially in the area of setting policy guidelines for safeguarding public funds earmarked and utilized for the development of national athletes.

“Is the PSC so competent that it knows what is best or who is best for each and every sport?”

Again, the PSC does not pretend that it has the “monopoly” of knowledge, expertise and good intention to pursue an honest-to-goodness recruitment plan for athletes and coaches.

As we have clearly stated in the concept paper of PSC-RPAC distributed among NSAs, the rationalization plan will be a collective initiative among PSC, NSAs, athletes, coaches and other stakeholders of local sports.

“Doesn’t the PSC know that it takes more than 10 months to build champions? What happens to long-term or even grassroots sports if everybody has to start over each year?”

The PSC-RPAC is precisely batting for the rationalization plan because we agree that champions are not made overnight. Having a new line-up each year that is scientifically and objectively constituted based on solid performance and records is a vital key for developing new, young champions.

“Who would want to be an athlete if you only get your meager allowance from March to December?”

We are not blind to the reality that most athletes even send their meager allowance to their families. That is why PSC is committed in addressing this issue seriously.

Through the initiative of PSC, SEA Games-bound athletes are provided meals, additional P7,500 allowance while on training and $100 additional pocket money during the competition, these are on top of the standard benefits that they receive from PSC.

Starting next year, chairman Harry Angping plans to increase monthly allowances of athletes from P25,000-P30,000. But we must ensure that members of the pool are all deserving and the best performers.