Liquidate or be sued, PSC warnserring NSAs

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Olympic Committee is seeking a permanent solution to the nagging issue of unliquidated cash advances by the different NSAs (national sports associations) from the Philippine Sports Commission.

Jose Romasanta, POC first vice president, said it would be wise for the auditor looking into the said cash advances to sit down with the NSAs and lay everything on the table.

“Some sort of seminar because this issue is not leaving a good impression on everybody including the POC,” Romasanta said.

Chairman Richie Garcia of the PSC said around 30 NSAs have unliquidated cash advances amounting to around P32 million.

A PSC source said among the NSAs having a hard time liquidating include judo with P4 million, sailing P2.6 million, wrestling P2.9 million, weightlifting P2.2 million, golf P2.2 million, rowing P2 million, archery P1.5 ,million, boxing P1.6 million, bridge P1 million and windsurfing P1 million.

“They will be sued by the government. We already got notice from the Commission on Audit several times and we extended this to NSAs and the POC. If we don’t do this, the PSC will be answerable and we will be sued,” said Garcia.

The PSC chairman said there’s already an order that NSAs with unliquidated cash advances can no longer receive cash advances, and he feared that this may have a serious effect on the national athletes. 

Romasanta said most of the NSAs have filed an appeal regarding the liquidation because some if not most of the cash advances were made many years ago and under past administrations.

“Instead of making an appeal we must fix the problem. The NSAs must understand what COA is really looking for. Ano ba talaga ang hinahanap?” he said.

“If the NSAs have submitted the documents, then we may have become too technical even if wala naman katiwalian o wala naman nawalang pera (there’s no anomaly or there’s no money that’s been missing),” Romasanta explained.

Romasanta said some NSAs may have erred in record-keeping and that it’s also possible that some people may be looking for something that can no longer be found.

He said NSAs change leaders every now and then, making it even more difficult to reconcile the figures.

“Kaylan ba at sino ba? The present leadership should not be made accountable para sa inabutan lang niya (for what he inherited). What is needed here is a true assessment,” Romasanta added.

But the PSC chief said a change in leadership cannot erase the fact that an NSA has failed to liquidate before the government.

“There are NSAs na nagpalit na ng leaders at yung dating president nawala papeles. But they always have to remember that the accountability remains with the NSA or the future leaders.

“Hindi pwedeng nagpalit ka ng president, burado na utang mo (It’s not like you change your president and you erase your debts,” said Garcia.