The Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list backed the Philippine Sports Commission’s desire to focus its funding on grassroots development, saying that doing so would help ensure a steady stream of athletes “capable of competing with the best.”
This as the PSC urged the Philippine Olympic Committee and the national sports associations under its wing to attract private funding to train its athletes so that the PSC budget could be poured towards grassroots development.
The Davaoeña lawyer urged the POC and NSAs to “tap their connections” and forge partnerships for their respective athletes’ development.
“As we are dealing with finite resources, it is only right that we prioritize how we spend public money. The PSC’s call is a Solomonic way by which we can ensure that both the present and future of sports are catered to,” PBA Party-list Rep. Migs Nograles said.
PSC Chair William “Butch” Ramirez had lamented that the PSC’s budget had gone to the training and participation of athletes in events, including the recently concluded 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, for which it spent P240 million.
The amount covered the expenses of the entire 980-strong PH delegation, including 641 athletes from 38 sports. The Philippines finished fourth overall in the tournament.
“Most of the PSC funds just went to the training and participation of our elite athletes, leaving no money for grassroots development,” Ramirez said.
“Given their already private nature, the POC and NSAs are well-placed to attract outside investment,” Nograles, the incoming solon for the re-elected party-list, said.
The Davaoeña lawyer urged the POC and NSAs to “tap their connections” and forge partnerships for their respective athletes’ development.
She also expressed hope that more private companies and foundations would support sports development in the country.
