POC urges beleaguered NSAs to tap private sector support

MANILA, Philippines — With funding from government coffers no longer available, the national sports associations (NSAs) will have to tap the private sector for support.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. yesterday urged the NSAs with unliquidated expenses to look for private benefactors while the Philippine Sports Commission resolves the funding issue with the Commission on Audit.

The PSC recently received a circular from the COA, which ordered the sports-funding agency not to release any financial assistance to delinquent NSAs.

The unliquidated expenses are P1,684,800 for boxing, P2,219,374 for golf, P268,046 for athletics, P165,417 for taekwondo and P1,502,509 for archery.

“If this continues, our athletes will suffer and they cannot perform well in tournaments where pride and honor for the country are at stake,” said Cojuangco.

“I told some of the NSA leaders to ask help from their friends in the private sector.”

PSC chair Richie Garcia said the COA directive would affect the training and preparation of athletes going to major international competitions, particularly the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, in September and Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, in August.

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