PSC releases Athletes pay before closing

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) scored on some sort of a “buzzer-beater” after signing checks for the salaries of the national athletes a day after it had to close office indefinitely.

The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the PhilSports Arena, the country’s biggest facilities operated by the PSC, have been locked down after a personnel was found positive for the coronavirus.

That rendered the PSC offices in both facilities shut down as well, as the lockdown was imposed on Wednesday and will stay that way “until further notice.”

“Good thing we finished the athletes payroll yesterday,” PSC executive director Guillermo Iroy Jr. told the Inquirer.

The allowances were delayed due to the overhaul of their accounting system after irregularities were found and an employee was arrested for allegedly pocketing P14 million.

“It affected all [PSC] employees and members of the national team,” a PSC statement said. “This was a painful but necessary action to ensure that no underhanded schemes are ever done in this service aspect again.”

Though the complexes have been off-limits to the public since the outbreak of the pandemic in March, the lockdown now includes offices in both facilities that not even the PSC personnel are allowed in or out of them. —With a report from June Navarro