PSC: Erring NSAs will get no funds

MANILA, Philippines - No liquidation, no funding.

This was the warning issued by the Philippine Sports Commission to delinquent NSAs (national sports associations) which continue to ignore the call to liquidate their expenses last year.

PSC chair and 17th Incheon Asian Games chief of mission Richie Garcia said the decision came after the government’s sports-funding agency received a memorandum from the Commission on Audit to stop funding NSAs who have standing unliquidated accounts.

“We are acting based on the COA circular,” said Garcia in yesterday’s Phl Olympic Committee’s general assembly. “This leaves us no choice but to stop funding all NSAs with unliquidated expenses. 

“Meaning, no funding will be given,” he added.

The PSC had actually turned down financial requests from at least 10 NSAs found to have been delinquent.

“COA told me that I am authorized to do whatever I want,” Garcia added. “But at the same time, I will be the one answerable to them if these NSAs don’t liquidate the financial assistance given to them.”

Last week, Garcia said around 30 NSAs have a total unliquidated cash advances amounting to around P32 million.

A PSC source said among the NSAs having a hard time liquidating include judo with P4 million, sailing P2.6 million, wrestling P2.9 million, weightlifting P2.2 million, golf P2.2 million, rowing P2 million, archery P1.5 ,million, boxing P1.6 million, bridge P1 million and windsurfing P1 million.

Aside from getting not a single centavo from the PSC, delinquent NSAs could also be sued.

“They will be sued by the government. We already got notice from the Commission on Audit several times and we forwarded this to NSAs and the POC. If we don’t do this, the PSC will be answerable and we will be sued,” said Garcia.

POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco slammed the decision saying it’s a form of harassment that will hamper the country’s preparation for the quadrennial event slated from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.

“This is obviously discrimination against Philippine sports. It is very clear that he was assigned to the PSC to create trouble. So we will just stop our training and preparation. After all, how can we operate without money?” Cojuangco told mediamen.

“If he wants to distract our training, then his timing is perfect because 2014 is a busy year for Philippine sports,” he added.

Apart from the Asian Games, the Philippines will also participate in the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China in August.