THE Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman on Wednesday raised the need to amend its charter which only focuses on amateur athletes, leaving professional athletes to struggle.
At a Senate briefing, PSC chair John Patrick C. Gregorio said they are only able to give continuous financial and training support to amateur athletes.
Republic Act No. 6847, or the Philippine Sports Commission Act, specifies that the PSC handles all “national amateur sports promotion and development.”
“[I]t states ‘to serve only and to support only amateur athletes,’ which is why we have instances where we have technical issues because we have national athletes who are professional players because professionals can now compete in the Olympics… and Asian Games,” he said.
Mr. Gregorio said PSC subsidizes uniforms and international training for athletes considered amateur, even after competitions like the Asian Games. Their charter’s narrow definition means PSC cannot always do the same for professional players, he added.
The Senate will study whether it is time to expand the PSC’s capacity through legislation, Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go told the sports secretary. — Francessca S. Abalos