Rep. Bambol Tolentino
National athletes and coaches might soon get their allowances in full once the House Bill No. 6953 or “Bayanihan Act 2” becomes a law.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president and Tagaytay City Congressman Bambol Tolentino said he included the said provision into the bill, which is now approved in the House of the Representatives.
Under Section 7 Paragraph R of the bill, athletes and coaches will be allocated P180 million to cover their reduced monthly stipends until December this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They will also be given an additional P5,000 bonus.
Tolentino said they are just waiting for the Senate approval in the scheduled bicameral meeting. Once finalized, it will be brought up to President Duterte for final approval.
He said he has already spoken with Senate President Tito Sotto for the inclusion of the provision and got the latter’s assurance.
Last May, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced it will temporarily cut the allowances of athletes and coaches into half after funds dwindled due to the global health crisis.
The PSC explained the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), from which the athletes’ allowances are drawn, has “considerably diminished”. The sports agency’s funding is drawn from its share in the revenue of the Philippine Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).