INQUIRER Sports

MANILA--A LOT OF HARD WORK lies ahead of the nine athletes in the elite pool and the other Philippine team hopefuls for the coming Asian Games.

The Asiad prospects need to keep their forms or face the risk of getting booted out from the national pool under a contract they signed with the Philippine Sports Commission.

PSC chair Harry Angping on Saturday said that the national sports associations with candidates in the pool will be given a ?passbook? which contains P2.5 million to P5 million depending on the number of their athletes and their respective events.

?Each time we give them money for their foreign exposure or other training expenses, we will deduct the amount from their passbook,? said Angping. ?And then if there is only about 20 percent left in their passbook, we will inform them.?

The national pool is now made up of 187 athletes with the nine elite bets to receive a monthly allowance of P20,000 each plus foreign exposure every three months.

The elite roster is made up of bowler Biboy Rivera, tennis stars Cecil Mamiit and Treat Huey, swimmers Daniel Coakley and Miguel Molina, chess Grandmaster Wesley So, long jump queen Marestella Torres, karateka Marna Pabillore and world champion cue artist Rubilen Amit.

Huey and Mamiit won?t get monthly allowances but their tournaments abroad will be funded, said Angping.