![]() ![]() The hefty costs immensely affected their preparation since they had to save or borrow money before starting training, James said. So P1,000 for 12 days, P12,000 na yon sa isang coach pa lang,” James said.ĭuring Liam’s training for the regional meet in Central Luzon, they had to shoulder P40,000 worth of expenses. ![]() James Cack, father and coach of 17-year-old regional badminton player Liam, says that they have to travel outside their hometown of Zambales to Manila to train because of the lack of standardized badminton courts in the province. A symptom of this sports depreciation is the lack of suitable infrastructure. Sports players cannot rely on the government when it diverts so much of their critical funding away from their needs and training. In 2020, PSC employees allegedly redirected the payroll and allowances of athletes into their bank accounts, embezzling a total of P14 million over five years. On top of the measly budget, the sports commission has been embroiled in corruption in the past. PSC had to lobby for increased funding in 2023 after they were initially handed a mere P218.18 million budget for sports training and infrastructure. The proposed budget for the PSC next year fell to P210.44 million, reflecting a considerable cut from its approved budget of P5.216 billion in 2023. “Wala pa nga pong ibinibigay hanggang ngayon pati po yung nakaraan nila,” she said.Īn athlete’s frustration from insufficient support is exacerbated by the bureaucracy and internal corruption that plague the sports commission. Madel Santiago, mother of 17-year-old athletics gold medalist Krisleen, said they have yet to receive incentives and allowances for the national games and the Cavite regional meets held in April. These woes reverberate in all levels of sports including student-athletes in the Palarong Pambansa. Yet, these billions of funds were absent when multiple athletes stepped forward to expose the government’s inadequate support.īoxing qualifier Irish Magno revealed that the PSC was two months late in giving allowances to the national boxing team during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which made her unable to send money back to her family. He claims that over P2.4 billion of the agency’s funding was poured into national sports during his term from 2016 to 2019. Philippine athletes compete against each other not only in their respective sports but also for the scraps of resources that the government frugally places for their sector.īutch Ramirez, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman, said the government investments in sports bore fruit in the country’s successes in competitions overseas. Concealed in Philippine sports is the conversion of hard-fought glory earned by unsupported national athletes into political capital by the state. ![]() “I am certain that many of our participants here, one day, we will be watching in international competitions as we have become a force in terms of international sports,” Marcos said.īut what is blurred in those moments of national pride is an exploited sports sector left underfunded by the same government that praises it. Renowned stars from different sports such as Lydia de Vega and Danny Ildefonso planted their roots in the national games. The event gathered 9,172 talented student-athletes in the country this year, as even qualifying to participate means succeeding in regional and divisional meets.įor many aspiring young talents, Palarong Pambansa is an opportunity to showcase their training and establish themselves as future national athletes. Palarong Pambansa, since its inception in 1948, has spearheaded the Department of Education’s (DepEd) objective of promoting sports and health among the youth. In the multisport event, student-athletes from kindergarten to grade 12 competed in 34 disciplines, representing the 17 regions of the Philippines. After a four-year hiatus, the national games returned this year from July 29 to August 5 in Marikina City with the theme “Batang Malakas, Bansang Matatag.” said in his speech at the formal opening of the Palarong Pambansa. “As you take part in your chosen sport, remember you are already champions,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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