MANILA - Pushing for a budget increase next year, the Philippine Sports Commission is ready to defend its position when the bicameral body decides with finality on the PSC allocation for 2009 in a plenary session on Thursday.
PSC chair William Ramirez will present the flagship projects of the government sports agency for 2009 before the joint committee hearing of the Senate and House of Representatives.
PSC commissioner Eric Loretizo said Ramirez will delve on the need to fuel the country’s Olympic campaign for the 2012 London Olympics starting this year aside from expanding the grassroots development program for sports.
Loretizo said the Philippine stint to the Southeast Asian Games in Laos next year will also be on top of the PSC’s agenda in a bid to persuade the bicameral body to augment the P208.5 million endorsed by both houses of congress in separate hearings.
The PSC had crafted a proposed budget of P749.6 million but the Department of Budget and Management recommended only an allocation of P208.5 million, which the Senate and House of Representatives affirmed.
“We’re pushing for an increase because next year will be a very busy year for sports,” said Loretizo.
Besides the Laos SEAG, the Philippines is sending a big delegation to the Asian Youth Games in Singapore, the prelude to the 2010 Youth Olympics to be hosted by the same country.
On top of these two projects, the PSC will also hold the Palarong Pambansa and unveil the Batang Pinoy, a countrywide multi-event competition for athletes 14 years old and below, as part of its expanded grassroots development program.
“We really have to prepare for these events. We hope the figures will improve by tomorrow (today) in the plenary session,” said Loretizo.
The PSC was granted P260 million this year on top of the P30 million it received to bankroll the training and preparation of athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Loretizo said the P30-million Olympic fund for 2009 was scrapped because the lawmakers thought it would be used for the SEAG.
Should the bicameral body scratch the 2009 Olympic fund for good, Loretizo said the PSC would again be forced to dip its hands in the national sports development fund coming from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“We really need the Olympic fund because the PSC has already been sending boxers and other athletes overseas as part of the Olympic campaign for 2012,” said Loretizo.
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