September 29, 2021 | 00h00

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate has fully supported the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) request for more funding for national athlete relays in upcoming international competitions, including the Asian Games in Hangzhou next year.

Senator Joel Villanueva, chairman of the finance committee that chaired the hearing on proposed budget allocations for several government agencies, including the PSC, said they would pay particular attention to requesting additional monetary support to fund the international travel of the country.

In addition to the 211.575 million pesos budget already allocated to the PSC next year, the government sports funding agency has requested 1.5 billion pesos to fund the country’s campaigns for the Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts, at the Beijing Winter Olympics and the World Games. in Birmingham, Alabama.

It would also cover the training expenses to be incurred for the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh 2023 as well as the SEA Games in Hanoi 2022, if the latter materialize.

“As a sponsor of the PSC budget, we will be taking a closer look at these budget requests taking into account yesterday’s discussions regarding Philippine training centers and the lack of funding for international sports competitions,” Villanueva told the STAR.

Senator Bong Go, who chairs the sports committee, supported Senators Miguel Zubiri, Pia Cayetano and Francis Tolentino.

PSC President William “Butch” Ramirez expressed his gratitude to Senators for their recognition of the vital role the PSC played in achieving the country’s historic triumph at the Tokyo Olympics.