THE House of Representatives approved the Bayanihan 2 proposal that includes the reinstatement of monthly allowances of national athletes and coaches.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino bared this in a press statement issued Monday evening, August 10.
Tolentino of the 8th District of Cavite lobbied for the inclusion of funds for the national athletes in the Bayanihan 2 proposal.
"By giving them the adequate allowances they deserve, we prove to our national athletes and coaches that we appreciate all their efforts and sacrifices and that we continue to support them especially during these trying times. We also included an additional Five Thousand Peso Covid Situation assistance on top of their allowances," he said.
It can be recalled that allowances of athletes and coaches were cut in half since June due to the low remittance of the National Sports Development Fund from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) brought about by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
A big chunk of the PSC's budget were also realigned for the national government's fight against Covid-19.
Tolentino, who thanked House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for helping in the proposal's page at the Lower House, said they are only awaiting the approval of the Senate although Cayetano and Senate President Vicente Sotto III already discussed the matter.
"This will be discussed extensively in a scheduled bi-cameral meeting," he added.
Meanwhile, the PSC recently assured national athletes and coaches' allowances will be released this week after a delay caused by the overhaul of PSC's payroll administration system on the wake of a recent discovery of an employee's payroll padding scam.