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Monday, July 31, 2006
Negrense nationals welcome PSC hike on overseas allowance
THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) approved last week a new food allowance policy for athletes taking part in the international competition, Negrese Commissioner Ritchie Garcia said.
The PSC allocated P30 million for the RP contingent's expenses to the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar on December 1-15.
"That's good news indeed because oftentimes when we compete in other countries and we don't like the food being served we are forced to buy food on our own," said judo specialist John Baylon, the Binalbagan, Negros Occidental native who is a seven time gold medalist of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
"At least if we like the food there we can keep the money as an extra allowance or incentive," said RP women's boxing team standout Mitchel Martinez of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental, who is a former national collegiate discus throw record holder and graduate of the University of St. La Salle.
For his part, Asian Boxing Championships best boxer awardee Joan Tipon of Talisay City told Sun.Star in a telephone interview last Saturday he hopes the announcement will really be implemented.
"We were told that the implementation would depend on the availability of funds and not everyone would benefit," the former Negros Amateur Boxing Association (Naba) protégé said.
In his announcement last week Garcia said that even if the foreign organizer of an international event like the Asiad is shouldering the food and hotel accommodations of the athletes, the PSC would still hand out a $30 per day allowance for each athlete as "contingency fund."
"If they end up not liking the food where they are going to, they could still buy something that they could like," said Garcia. "But if they like it, they could keep the money or spend it," he added.
However, if the athletes' participation in an international event does not come with complimentary food and hotel, Garcia said the athletes would get $60 for food and another $50 for hotel expenses from the PSC.
Negrense athletes in the national pool confirmed that before the PSC revised the allowance scheme, the PSC had a standard rate of $30 per day, which stretches back to the chairmanship of Philip Juico in the mid-1990s.(HCV)
(July 31, 2006 issue)
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