Peping pushes for amnesty to delinquent NSAs

The Philippine Sports Commission is being urged to grant amnesty on the national sports associations (NSAs) which have yet to liquidate their old cash advances with the government sports agency.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco Jr. said it may be impossible to settle or solve the liquidation problems of some NSAs since most of the cash advances amounting to millions of pesos were made more than a decade ago.

"It may be impossible because they go back 10 to 12 years ago. Some important papers and documents are no longer available, and some of the concerned officials are no longer around," he said.

Cojuangco said officials of the NSAs with unliquidated cash advances have sought the help of the POC, which will call on the PSC to declare the granting of an amnesty program.

Chairman Butch Ramirez of the PSC last year imposed a policy that NSAs with unliquidated cash advances cannot draw any financial support from the sports agency.

The total amount of unliquidated cash advances as of last year was P80 million. Ramirez said if the NSAs fail to liquidate, the PSC will be answerable to the Commission on Audit.

While most of the NSAs have completed their liquidation, the "no-liquidation-no-financial-support" policy proved unpopular, and has in fact created animosity between the PSC and some NSAs.

"One by one, NSA officials have approached me to explain their position on this. Maybe we can ask the PSC for amnesty. I pity these NSA officials," added Cojuangco.

Cojuangco, meanwhile, said POC officials are working with their counterparts from the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc) in a bid to settle the debts incurred during the 2005 Games.

Philsoc, which was chaired by Cojuangco, reportedly left a trail of debts to those who provided different kinds of services during the SEA Games. The debts reached as high as P170 million.

"But now it’s down to just P8 million according to the PSC, which agreed to settle the debts in exchange for the P100 million worth of sports equipment which Philsoc turned over to the PSC," Cojuangco said.