More funding will come from congress, local government units and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation for Philippine sports in the coming years.
The Philippines’ recent success in the 2024 Paris Olympics, coupled with the Supreme Court’s recent order for PAGCOR to remit the full amount of five percent of its gross income to the PSC will make this possible starting next year.
Chairman Richard Bachmann said he will sit down with PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco on the financial assistance that the government sports body will get in the coming years when he gets back from the Paris Paragames in the second week of September.
“I know that we will be getting a bigger budget for next year. If we are getting P100 million from them, we will get 5 to 6 times more,” said Bachmann on Thursday.
The PSC chief discussed the PSC’s assistance to athletes, the national sports associations and the country’s grassroots program during a special session of the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
The bigger financial backing from PAGCOR comes after the Supreme Court has ordered them to remit the full amount of five percent of its gross income to the PSC from 1993 to the present.
The ruling was an answer to a petition filed by former Pampanga First District Rep. Yeng Guiao back in 2016 for PAGCOR to give out the proper amount, as contained in Section 26 of the PSC Law or Republic Act 6847.
Bachmann, who will be in the Paralympics in Paris when it is held there from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, said gymnast Carlo Yulo’s double gold performance in the Paris Olympics, to go with the bronze-medal finishes of boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas have created a big impact on Philippine sports.
“It’s basically creating awareness on a lot of sports that can actually win medals for us. We got through LGUs and introduce sports, but most only want basketball and volleyball. By winning medals in international meets like the Olympics for gymnastics and boxing, this gives awareness that a lot of kids can be supported and become athletes. This makes the PSC’s job easier,” said Bachmann.
Last year, the PSC allocated around P33.9 million for the preparation, training and participation of athletes and coaches in Olympic qualification events.
This year, P8.6 million was allocated for the national sports associations’ Olympics-related activities, and around P51.9 million was set aside for the actual Paris games.
In all, the government sports agency spent P158.283 million for the Paris Olympics’ gig.
“The role of the government in the Olympics is financial assistance for all the NSAs and all the sports. And I’m happy to report that since 2023, we’ve been supporting all these,”said Bachmann.
The agency has also proposed a 2025 national budget of P725 million before the Senate and Congress, which was lower than last year’s P1.156 -billion budget.
But this is expected to go up as well, following talks by Bachmann with lawmakers on Tuesday.
