NSAs told: Be responsible with government funds

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Sports Commission chair Noli Eala on Thursday pleaded to National Sports Associations to be responsible in handling the government money they would receive to fund their respective programs.

Eala was specifically referring to a perennial problem in liquidation of funds.

“We were just following what Sen. Bong Go told us to take care of every peso we get and account them well,” said Eala during the agency’s consultative meeting NSA heads at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Fund liquidation has been a yearly obstacle by the PSC and Eala hopes to address the issue during his term.

“This is our only way we can address the concerns of the PSC. As I’ve mentioned in my speech this morning, we will respect their autonomy but let’s describe it as responsible autonomy wherein they are not going to be interfered with in terms of program and ability to run their NSAs, but at the same time, they have duties to respect the fact that public funds are being used for sports programs.”

“And thus you have to be responsible for the funds entrusted by the government to them,” he added.

Eala said while they have requested to Congress additional budget, or worth somewhere around P5.2 billion for 2023, there is still that possibility that it may not be approved since the original proposal was only P218 million.

So that’s the reason the PSC is making sure all the money it will dole out with will all be well accounted for.

“We showed them (NSAs) that this is the only amount we can give them,” he said.