MANILA — The Philippine Sports Commission has scheduled a series of budget hearings with national sports associations (NSAs) starting Tuesday next week (Feb. 4) to finalize their budget for 2020.
“The PSC, as mandated by law, is here to support each of our NSAs. With the assistance coming from the President and PAGCOR, we want to know their budget proposals and programs and see where we are headed,” PSC chairman William Ramirez said on Tuesday.
Special attention will be given for NSAs with Olympic-bound athletes or potential Olympic qualifiers, given the serious campaign of the government to finally win the country’s first ever Olympic gold.
Aside from the annual budget, each NSAs priority programs and major international events will also be tackled, as well as each of their grassroots sports programs, updates on their International Federation (IF) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) accreditation, and their athlete’s profile.
Each commissioner will be leading the hearing for the respective sports under their charge.
Gymnastics and athletics, which already have Olympic qualifiers in Caloy Yulo and EJ Obiena, are scheduled February 6 and 12, respectively.
Last year, the PSC approved a total of PHP600 million budget for NSAs but exceeded this by over 100 percent due to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The Philippines grabbed the SEA overall title with 149 golds, 116 silvers and 118 bronzes. (PR)