Not just a handful of sports but every deserving athlete will benefit from the full strength of the Philippine Sports Commission’s Gintong Laban program, PSC chairperson Emmanuel “Noli” Eala said yesterday.
Taking a page from the Gintong Alay endeavour of the 1980s, the PSC will cull the resources of donors from the private sector into one pot and address the athletes’ needs for training and overseas exposure.
During a meeting with stakeholders and national sports association heads, Eala recognized Gintong Alay’s contributions but made it clear that it can no longer tap one patron to fund one NSA.
“There were godfathers per sport. This time, it’s difficult to do that since there are a lot of sports and a lot of national sport associations. We are not necessarily looking for one godfather per sport. We are asking the entire private sector for Project Gintong Laban. It will now be a program basis,” Eala said.
“This will be the tweak from the former Gintong Alay program because we won’t be assigning godfathers but rather seeking the private sector to put their funds so that we will have more funds to distribute to a lot of sports.”
Some sports have already been backed by private companies prior to this announcement.
Probably the biggest sponsor of the NSA is the MVP Sports Foundation, which has supported a handful of federations such as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines and the Philippine Badminton Association.
International Container Terminal Services Inc. has been a major backer to the local golf scene and also supported the international campaigns of golfers such as Bianca Pagdanganan and Juvic Pagunsan.
Globe Telecom, on the other hand, has been funding Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala’s stint in the girls’ and women’s global tennis circuit, which has been awarded two professional titles and three junior Grand Slam titles.
Eala also said the tax paid from the supporters’ donation will be cut to 100 percent as a benefit in helping out the athletes.
This will definitely be a service for the private sector as 2023 will be a stacked calendar for athletes with the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, 19th Asian Games and several Olympic qualifiers on tap.
“The PSC can provide 100 percent tax deductions in their donations. This is a big deal. It is something we are providing them. It is important for many of them to know that they are helping sports,” Eala said.
“This is a national endeavor. It’s a project for nation-building, it’s a project for the national psyche, our happiness quotient goes up when we succeed in sports.”
