The Philippine Sports Commission seeks to have a bigger budget next year.
PSC chairman Richard Bachmann is keeping his fingers crosses that Congress and the Senate will approve his efforts to have more funds for Filipino athletes, from P2.2 billion this year to P4 billion in 2024.
The funds will help the PSC improve the facilities that it is managing — the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, the Philsports Complex in Pasig City and the National Teachers area in Baguio City.
“With this year’s budget, nothing went to facilities. All went to events and programs,” said Bachmann following his discussions with lawmakers in Congress and Senate last week.
The agency will have a new Executive Director in Paolo Francisco Tatad to help run the daily activities of the PSC.
Tatad is coming in to replace Atty. Guillermo Iroy, who stepped down during a revamp in the government sports agency.
Tatad, who used to be part of ABS-CBN’s Human Resources department, will help the PSC streamline its activities.
“For the past years, he (Iroy) gladly stepped in as acting ED. Now that we have a complete lineup, we can move forward,” said PSC chairman Richard Bachmann.
The PSC is currently taking care of 10 programs, which includes Women in Sports, Indigenous Peoples Games, Corporate Social Responsibility, Para Sports, Laro’t Saya, and the Philippine National Games.
The agency is also developing its programs in the Philippine Sports Institute, the Philippine Sports Training Center and the Regional Training Centers.
Bachmann said the agency is now getting ready for the staging of the 2023 Philippine National Games and the Batang Pinoy National Championships.
No venue has been set yet for the games slated from Dec. 17 to 22.
Twenty disciplines will initially make up the list of events which will be part of the meet.
This includes archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, basketball, 3×3 basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, dancesport, esport, gymnastics, karatedo, lawn tennis and sepak takraw.