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HALF IT IS. Philippine
Wushu Team member Daniel Parantac show form in a photoshoot last March. The
allowance of national athletes has been cut to half recently, forcing them to
tighten their belts to survive. (PNA file photo)
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BAGUIO CITY – When
national athletes check on their bank accounts using their Philippine Sports
Commission (PSC) issued ATM (automatic teller machine) cards with the Land Bank
of the Philippines (LBP) on Wednesday, the usual amount remitted to them by the
national sports body will just half of what they usually receive monthly.
“Sa 10 kada
buwan namin nakukuha ang allowance namin (It’s on the 10th of
every month that we receive our allowance),” said 18-year old Abegail Abad, a
member of the Philippine Arnis Team who won a gold in the last Southeast Asian
Games (SEAG) in December last year.
It was a
difficult decision for the PSC to cut the allowance to half of the national
team members who made a rare splash in the biennial meet late last year with a
stunning performance that netted the country its second over-all title in the
11-nation sports competitions.
That
performance totally overshadowed the 2005 Manila hosted haul of 113 golds, 85
silver, and 93 bronze medals with an unprecedented 149 gold medals of which
some 40 gold medals were provided for by Cordillera athletes.
But seven
months after a performance worthy of the books and an unprecedented collective
athlete of the year citation from the Philippine Sportswriters Association
(PSA), now these athletes will be getting a monthly stipend half their worth.
It is a cost-cutting
move by the PSC, which was earlier opted to be able to continue giving the
athletes their allowance as the bulk of its budget was returned to the national
coffers to help in the efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease
(Covid-19) pandemic.
To make
matters worse, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) stopped
all gaming events, thereby losing its source of income, which is also the
source of money for the PSC, and the allowance of the athletes.
The PSC had a
hard choice to make that also saw the cancellation of major national events
like the Philippines National Games (PNG) and the Batang Pinoy for 15 years old
and younger athletes.
It also
canceled the World Arnis Cali Eskrima Championship slated this month in Cebu City.
“Talaga pong sayang yung world arnis at di natuloy (It is really
a waste that the world arnis championship did not push through),” said Eza Rai
Yalong of the Philippine arnis team, who will see her bank account swell to
only half of what it usually receive every 10th of the month.
“The
allowance we get form the PSC is really big help,” said Yalong, who along with
Abad, Elmer Manlapas, Billy Joel, and Donlee Aliga, who receives a minimum as a
class B athlete as a member of the national training pool.
Last month,
Yalong said that they received their allowances early. “Good news at maaga
namin nakuha allowance at buo pa din [last month] (Good news we
received our allowance early and in full),” Yalong told the Philippine News
Agency.
Top tier
athletes like boxer Nesthy Petecio will see her PHP45,000 monthly stipend cut
to half.
Other
national athletes who are based here are boxers Josie Gabuco, Aira Villegas,
and Olympics bound Irish Magno.
Teener muay
Thai athlete Islay Bomogao will also see a reduction of her allowance though
she describes it as not as “big” as other athletes, it was put to good use
during the last two months when she donated it for relief operations.
“I had so
many blessings anyways last year,” said the 19-year older daughter of a Baguio councilor.
PSC chairman
William Ramirez said that if things normalize soon, the athletes could receive
their allowances in full before the end of the year. (PNA)
No. 3, 1 col
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