'More funding, more gold': Lawmakers seek bigger PSC budget for 2025

A bigger budget allocation is needed to improve the Filipino athletes’ performance in future Olympic Games, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) said Wednesday. 

Valenzuela City Representative Eric Martinez, one of the sponsors of the PSC’s P725-million proposed budget for 2025, said during the plenary deliberations that the PSC’s budget for next year “would be an important part in bringing in the momentum for our sports victories for our athletes and our young Filipino athletes.”

In her interpellation, OFW party-list Representative Marissa “Del Mar” Magsino said that the total appropriations of PSC under the national budget have consistently gone down from P2.27 billion in 2023, to P1.15 billion in 2024, and to P725.75 million in 2025.

The proposed budget for locally funded projects is only P255 million compared to P752 million in 2024 since 2025 is not an Olympic, Youth Olympic, or Paralympic year.

Martinez said that for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the PSC spent around P170 million—of which P79 million went to the training of the athletes, P40 million for the qualifying tournaments, P20 million for the regular competitions, and P31.5 million for the incentives.

The budget sponsor acknowledged that this expenditure was all "worth it," citing the Philippines' most successful Olympic campaign as justification, but said that additional financing is necessary for the country to win more medals.

“These figures would show that the formula to success is really funding. And if we want more gold, we want more funding. This is the clear cut formula—and it was proven by Hidilyn [Diaz] and validated by the double gold of Caloy,” Martinez said.

“More funding, more gold,” he added.

The Philippines achieved its best medal haul ever at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with two gold medals courtesy of gymnast Carlos Yulo and one bronze medal each from boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

The next Summer Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, California, in 2028.

Aside from PSC's P725-million allocation under the proposed 2025 budget, the PSC can also use the National Sports Development Fund, as provided under the PSC law. — VBL, GMA Integrated News