IN A bid to make its funds last longer, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has made the tough decision of slashing the allowance of national team members in half.
The announcement was made by PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez as the organization struggles to keep up with expenses due to the restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Ramirez, they had to make the decision so that they can care for the national athletes for a longer period of time. The proposal was given the green light during a board meeting last Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The cuts will start in the allowances for the month of June which will be claimed in July.
Ramirez said that the decision was a tough one to make but they were left with no other recourse since the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), from where the athletes’ allowances are taken, has been substantially depleted. The agency’s funding is drawn from its cut from the revenue of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
Ramirez added the cuts would let them sustain the granting of the allowances until the year’s end. He also said that the rates will go back to what they once were when the NSDF is restored to a safe level.
The PSC has already made several cuts to save on costs such as the termination of the contracts of sports coordinators, consultants and other staff members.
However, the PSC also had some good news with the implementation of the 20 percent discount for the national athletes, which is guaranteed by a provision in RA 10699. This will finally be enforced after the Bureau of Internal Revenue handed down Revenue Regulation 13-2020 on Wednesday.
Discounts shall be applied to food, medicine, recreation centers, hotels, and lodging establishments and sports equipment purchases. National athletes and coaches will soon be given IDs and booklets for this.