POC Chief – National Athletes and Coaches Will Receive Full Assignments for Next Week

MANILA, Philippines – National athletes and coaches are expected to receive their full assignments again starting next week, according to the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

This, after their allocations were cut in half last June due to the new coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), William “Butch” Ramirez, said it was a “tough decision” they had to make to make sure they could continue giving assignments until December 2020.

But the passage of the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (Bayanihan Act 2) provides for the country’s sports program that was momentarily sacrificed when the government channeled funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is good news for our athletes who have become anxious and even lost concentration during the pandemic,” Tolentino said in a statement. “With their assignments back to normal, they can now focus on their training.”

Bayanihan Act 2 provides P180 million for national team members’ allocations, and they will receive those allocations retroactively beginning in July.

Each of the athletes and coaches will also receive a one-time pandemic assistance worth P5,000.

“The funds are now with the PSC and we expect the allocations to return to normal next payday for athletes and coaches,” Tolentino said.

National team athletes under the care of the PSC include 996 athletes, 262 coaches, 280 for athletes and 82 for coaches. The total monthly payroll is P41 million.