MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Sports Commission has continued to back the national sports associations in need of support with hopes of turning things around for these NSAs.
A week after throwing its support to table tennis, the PSC restored the allowance of national indoor and beach volleyball men’s and women’s team over the weekend.
“We really need to motivate them because they will go to Laos (Southeast Asian Games) in December,” said PSC chair Harry Angping. “That’s one of my plans when I assumed the chairmanship. I want to help all sports that have the capability to win gold medals.”
Angping said that the men and women’s indoor volleyball players, composed of 14 players each, and beach volleyball, made up of four players each, will be given a monthly allowance worth P6,000.
Aside from the monthly stipends, the national team will also receive a P3,000 food allowance monthly.
“We’re doing this to help these sports get back on their feet,” said Angping.
Last week, Angping vowed to back the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines, which has been hit by leadership disputes.
The PSC will also support the national team’s other international campaigns, including the Asian Women’s Championship and Asian Club women’s championship.
The beach volley teams, on the other hand, will continue to receive monthly allowance and will get a little bit more compared to the indoor teams for having the better chances of winning medals in the Laos SEA Games.
Beach volley won a bronze in the 2005 Manila SEAG, courtesy of Fil-Ams Diane Pascua and Heidi Illustre.
Illustre, however, retired early this year to start a family in the US.
Indoor volley, for its part, won its only gold medal in the 1993 Singapore SEAG on a team built around Thelma Barina, now the coach of the lady spikers.
Table tennis’ best effort in the biennial, 11-nation meet was a silver medal in the 2005 Manila Games, courtesy of Richard Gonzales in the singles event. – Joey Villar