NSAs told to settle finances with PSC by year end

Written by GMANews.tv

Friday, 05 December 2008 19:20

MANILA, Philippines – National Sports Associations (NSA) and other organizations which have unliquidated accounts with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) must settle their finances before the year ends or face the consequences.

A memorandum issued again by the Commission on Audit (COA) on the PSC has forced chairman William Ramirez to take a tough stance on the problem which has hounded the government sports arm since 1990.

A total of P102 million of government money remains unaccountable but Ramirez quickly said that the bulk of the amount happened long before he sat as PSC chairman three years ago.

“A number of the NSAs unliquidated accounts happened not in the term of their current presidents. But we simply can’t write off this unliquidated accounts since the COA is going after us," said Ramirez.

Fifty-five NSAs including those who are not members of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) contributed to the huge unliquidated account with swimming the biggest with P19 million.

Only four NSAs has no unliquidated accounts and these are wind surfing, ice skating, handball and soft tennis.

But the order doesn’t only take effect on the NSAs butt also on other organizations like the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc) since it has yet to liquidate P74 million from the P300 million money advanced by PSC for the 2005 Philippine hosting of the SEA Games.

Philsoc has been dissolved but Ramirez explained that people who run the organization in 2005 hold various posts in different sports groups. Reelected POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. sat as Philsoc’s head and thus is still liable for unliquidated accounts.

NSAs who fail to liquidate their accounts by the end of the year will lose their right to ask financial support from the PSC while other groups who would not follow the order may be subjected to court action.

Athletes however will not suffer any consequences as Ramirez said he will directly give financial support to their training and preparation for international competitions such as the 2009 Laos SEA Games.

“We have been very lenient the past three years with regards to the unliquidated accounts. But I feel its now the right time to enforce stricter measures. As partners of POC and NSAs, we should also share the responsibilities to contribute to uplift Philippine sports," said Ramirez.

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