I am posting the following media releases of the Philippine Sports Commissions (PSC) in order to improve our Sports Excellence Program and ultimately, to motivate our National Pool of Athletes to win in the incoming ASEAN Games to be held on the 2nd week of December of this year.
How I wish the plans to fund the training of the athletes will push through; that there will be no more additional “sports officials” for the delegation as “free-loaders”; that there will be no more “midnight appointed athletes”; and that their promises for the cash rewards for the “medalists” will be realized.
I hope also that the different National Sports Federation will be accountable and transparent on how their financial support will be spent to our athletes.
I will keep the following “media releases” in my blog as future references in our overall results and standing in the 2009 ASEAN Games:
PSC plans P900M fund to sharpen up athletes
By June Navarro, Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:36:00 10/12/2009
Filed Under: Sports Organisations
QUALITY TRAINING and more foreign exposures for deserving national athletes and coaches.
These benefits were guaranteed by Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping Sunday as he announced a windfall of almost P1 billion for the national sports development fund (NSDF) starting next year.
Angping said about P900 million for the training and international competitions of athletes will go to the NSDF. The cash will come from the monthly take of the PSC from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Bureau of Customs and Philippine Racing Commission.
With its P180 million debt to Pagcor expected to be fully paid by December, Angping said Pagcor’s monthly NSDF contribution will increase from P30 million to P53 million.
Apart from the Pagcor subsidy, the PSC will get 15 percent from the gross sales of the PCSO’s Lotto Scratch It! Instant Tama! game cards following a deal between Angping and PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte.
“The bottom line is still performance,’’ said Angping. “If our athletes can prove that they deserve to be in the national pool, the PSC will give everything they need to perform well.”
The PSC had earlier announced that the national pool will be disbanded at the end of the year and a new pool will be formed through a series of competitions and tryouts to be conducted by the national sports associations.
Angping said the projected NSDF of P900 million would be spent mostly on the country’s preparation for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. The amount is separate from the P250 million the PSC gets from the General Act Appropriations.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asian Games chief of mission Mario Tanchanco yesterday said his committee has managed to prune down the number of national athletes from 250 to 160.
Tanchangco, also the sepak takraw president, said the list comes close to the maximum number the Philippine Sports Commission plans to bankroll.
“Our duty is to make sure we come up with a delegation to Laos and also make sure they are trained and well prepared,” said Tanchangco, adding that the list has been turned over to POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. for approval.
Last Friday, Angping said the PSC will only fund about 130 athletes, who have the potential to win gold medals in the Dec. 9 to 18 Games.
PSC funding no more than 200 nat’l bets
By June Navarro, Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:38:00 10/16/2009
Filed Under: Sports Organisations
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Sports Commission will stick to the original list of 153 athletes and 47 officials approved by the Southeast Asian Games selection committee and will reject efforts by the Philippine Olympic Committee to add more members to the roster.
“There will be no changes in the number already approved,” said PSC chair Harry Angping yesterday, adding that any last-minute additions to the RP contingent will be ignored by the government agency.
Set to compete in 21 events, the Filipino medalists during the Dec. 9 to 18 competition in Vientiane will be rewarded with another set of bonuses after Angping promised to match the original incentives of P100,000, P50,000 and P10,000 for the gold, silver and bronze winners.
“They are going to war, they should be properly equipped,” said Angping. “I will give them food every day and make sure they won’t worry about anything. There will be no reason for them not to succeed.”
Laos SEA Games chef de mission Mario Tanchangco said the RP roster needs the final approval of the POC board, adding he merely acted as observer during a meeting with Angping and PSC commissioner Joey Mundo that approved the size of the national delegation.
“So he (Tanchangco) went to the meeting not as a representative of the POC? Is that what they are saying?” said Angping.
“The list that we reviewed and approved was a product of the work of Tanchangco and commissioner Mundo. And that list came from the national sport associations.”
Tanchangco, the POC second vice president, has been at the helm of the negotiations, together with Mundo, in preparing the list of the RP delegation based on recommendations from the NSAs.
POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. had earlier announced that the Olympic body would look for sponsors to shoulder the participation of athletes who would not be supported by the PSC.
“Including athletes who failed to make the criteria will affect the morale of the team,” Angping said.
He said the agency saved P10 million by cutting the roster of athletes to the Games.
The decision to double the incentives for medalists came a day after Angping announced an extra training allowance of P7,500 for the Nationals on top of an extra $100 pocket money while they are in Laos.
SEAG champs to get more bonuses–Angping
By Marc Anthony Reyes
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:23:00 10/18/2009Sport
Filed Under:
MANILA, Philippines–There appears to be more bonuses coming for gold medalists in the Laos Southeast Asian Games.
Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping hinted at providing more incentives, apart from earlier increases, to the 153 athletes slated to compete in Vientiane on Dec. 9 to 18.
“I tell you, I will really take good care of these athletes,” said Angping Friday after a pep rally with national coaches at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Last week, he shared lunch in a boodle fight with the RP national pool.
“I will shower them with love and affection, and financial assistance they have never seen and tasted before,” said the PSC chief. “Look, they are also human beings, you have to show them your concern, because we keep on pushing them to train so we must give proper consideration.”
In his talk with the national coaches, Angping also promised them the same training incentive he gave the athletes, amounting to P7,500 plus $100 additional allowances in the SEA Games.
He also doubled the reward for gold medal winner to P200,000 and promised to give P50,000 more to silver and P20,000 to bronze medalists. Under the law, gold medals win P100,000, silver P50,000 and bronze P10,000.
Angping also appealed for a “ceasefire” among national sports associations hounded by infighting, as well as the spat between the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee.
“I pity them (athletes) they become victims in this struggle when they don’t have anything to do with it,” added Angping.
“We can continue to disagree with each other after the SEA Games, but I hope during the duration of the Games, let’s just be fighting under one team, Team Philippines.”
He said the athletes must be spared of the intramurals, and instead be pampered.
“We can’t afford for them to compete in highest standard when the mother is sick, or if there’s problem with family,” he said. “All of these should disappear, at least in the next two months.”
(Note: All the abovementioned news reports were copied from www.inquirer.net)
Bald Runner 