THE Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has requested P450 million in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for the Philippine delegations’ preparation and participation in the five different international tournaments next year.
POC president Rep. Abraham Tolentino forwarded the letter of request to Senate President Vicente” Sotto III through Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez.
According to the request, P5 million is allocated for the country’s participation in the Winter Olympics in China in February 2022 while P150 million is to be set aside for the Philippine delegation that will compete in the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games or AIMAG in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand on March.
Meanwhile, P10 million is for The World Games or TWG in Birmingham, Alabama, USA in July while P270 million is for 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September. Lastly, another P15 million is for the 5th Asian Youth Games or AYG in China in December.
“Participation in these high-level sports events is truly significant as these are held only every four years,” Tolentino said in the letter of request dated Monday. “Not only will joining these sports events showcase the Filipino brand of athletic talent, but more so elevate the morale of our athletes and inspire other young Filipinos to engage in sports training and development.”
Tolentino said that the budgetary requirements were based on the total number of participating athletes and the events in which they will participate—including the costs of training to be incurred.
Tolentino also explained that the number of entries for the Asian Games would depend on the athletes’ performance in the AIMAG.
“The final composition of the delegation to Hangzhou will be based on the AIMAG,” he said. “If the athletes perform well, they’ll be going to the Asian Games. If not, they won’t be on the list.” (JNP)