PSC's 2023 budget suffers slash

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) might be forced to do less next year as it suffered a big cut on its budget for 2023.

At a public hearing of the Senate subcommittee on finance Monday, the proposed budget of PSC amounting to P218.1 million and Games Amusements Board at P156.66 million were approved by the panel.

The proposed budget, however, reflected a huge cut from the 2021 and 2022 allocations the PSC received of P1.309 billion and P761.575 million, respectively.

Established through Republic Act 6847, the PSC serves as a “single, unified and integral national sports policy-making body,” which oversees the country’s sports programs, provides leadership, encourages wide participation of all sectors, and supplements government appropriations for the commission’s objectives.

Aside from the national budget, PSC also sources its fund from its share in the earnings of  the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). 

Under RA 6847, Pagcor is mandated to remit five percent of its gross income to the government sports agency, while PCSO is supposed to remit 30 percent of earnings from six sweepstakes or lottery draws per annum.

PSC chairperson Noli Eala in a separate proposal asked for an additional amount of P4.998 billion intended for the preparation and participation of athletes in major international competitions as well as for infrastructure at a national training center.

This, Eala said, would make Filipino athletes be more competitive.

“In terms of the 2023 tier 2 project summary, ito po ‘yung aming request na hindi po na-endorse ng DBM. This includes the preparations and training and the participation in major international competitions. Including the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, The Asian Games, The Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games, The World Combat Games, the World Beach Games, and the Asian Beach Games,” he said.

“This also includes our grassroots programs that were already included prior to our new board, which are the Batang Pinoy and the Philippines National Games as well as other requirements,” he added.

“The additional funding already includes all the international games which I mentioned. Plus, the ASEAN Para games, the Asian Para Games, our grassroot programs under the National Sports Development Council, and our new program centering on research and development for sports sciences and sports technology. The sports infrastructure development dahil kailangan po namin i-maintain ang aming mga pasilidad including the dormitories for our athletes. And our additional funding for Batang Pinoy and the Philippine National Games. This totals to P5.216 billion,” Eala said.

Moreover, Eala also presented in the hearing the Philippine Sports Development Plan for 2022-2028, which includes the grassroots program, caring for national athletes, and additional funding with the help of the private sector.

Eala also said that they would also review and streamline the athletes’ benefits as well as incentives, including the creation of a pension plan for all national athletes.

In September, Senator Sonny Angara said that the PSC budget has increased over the years as part of the government’s commitment to support the development of its athletes and programs.

Angara also said that the Republic Act 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, which he authored, also contributed to the development of Philippine sports by granting significant cash incentives to winning athletes and their coaches.

FIBA World Cup budget

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas vice president Ricky Vargas similarly requested P1.5 billion for additional budget for the FIBA World Cup (FBWC) next year, which will be co-hosted by the Philippines along with Japan and Indonesia.

Vargas said the figure is 40% of the total proposed fund of 3.7 billion, noting that the 60% of the total cost will be shouldered by the private sector.

The P1.5 billion would be used in operations costs such as hotel reservations, transportation, and security, according to Vargas.

“We are seeking the help of the government in a way we think that there will be value for what money they will give us,” he said.

Meanwhile, FBWC 2023 head of brand and marketing Joseph Barrios said that the sporting event next year will be as big as the Olympics and will be the first major event since the pandemic.

Barrios similarly echoed the statement of Vargas, saying that there could be a spike in economic revenue and tourism through the FBWC.

“In 2014 in Spain, there was an estimated direct economic impact of approximately P7.6 billion… and in 2019, the China hosting, there was also a direct economic impact of P9.7 billion,” he said.

“Additionally, there is what you call an intangible impact. So particularly, with regards to tourism, a case study that happened in China and the China hosting, in which the number of days that tourists spend in three cities during the World Cup is about 7 to 10 days. So, we can just imagine these foreign guests and fans how they could contribute to the Philippines,” he added.

In response, Senator Bong Go said they would look into the proposal and would see how much money would be added to the proposed fund.

“Anyway nakasasalay po sa leadership ng Senado. Senators Angara, Zubiri, Piya Cayetano, at Tolentino kung ano ‘yung kaya kasi marami nga po sa budget deliberations may kanya-kanyang priorities,” Go added.

For his part, Eala said they would support the hosting of FBWC as this would not only help the game of basketball, but would also show the country’s ability to host international tournaments.

Earlier, Angara said the FBWC presents a rewarding opportunity for the Philippines and should thus be supported by all Filipinos, and be allocated with a big budget.

Bigyan natin ng pag suporta ng pag host nito. Definitely, I think malaki ang pangangailangan for 2023. Hindi lang milyon o daang milyon ang pinaguusapan dito kundi bilyon,” he said.

“Pero pinakita sa akin ang balik sa Spain when it hosted World Cup in 2014 at nung 2019 sa China, parang ang balik ay hindi lang bilyon but tens of billions of dollars, in terms of tourism revenue, in terms of exposure,” he added.—LDF, GMA News