The battle is not yet over as far as the landmark decision of the Supreme Court regarding the proper remittances of two government agencies to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is concerned.
Former Pampanga congressman and PBA coach Yeng Guiao said it is imperative to see the actual execution of the decision ordering the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to remit the full amount of 5 percent of gross income to the PSC from 1993 to the present, and the 30 percent of the charity fund of sweepstakes and lottery draw of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from 2006 to the present to the same sports funding agency of the government.“
“Ayaw natin na parang moral victory lang ito. Legally and morally, we’re standing on solid grounds. Yung bulk of the work andiyan na e (We don't want it to look like a moral victory. Legally and morally, we're standing on solid grounds. The bulk of the work is already there),” Guiao said in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday, where he was accompanied by his lawyer Avelino “Jun” Guzman Jr.
“We don’t want this decision to become a paper judgment. Ang kailangan talaga dito yung pondo pumasok sa PSC (What is really needed here is the funds to be remitted to PSC),” Guzman said in the session held at the conference room of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and presented by San Miguel Corp., PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.
“Kaya ang una talaga natin na dapat gawin ay bantayan ang decision na ito because as far as we’re concerned, nagawa na natin yung pinaka-mahirap na parte (So the first thing we really have to do is watch over this decision because as far as we're concerned, we've done the most difficult part),” he added.
The Supreme Court handed down the decision last week mandating both PAGCOR and PCSO to release the appropriate budget allocation to the PSC or eight years since Guiao, then vice chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Youth and Sports, filed the petition before the highest court in the land.
Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen penned the decision that was heard en banc by the 15-man Supreme Court, none among them inhibited themselves from the petition.
Under the rules, according to Guzman, both PAGCOR and PCSO can no longer appeal the decision, but have 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration.
As of Tuesday, the two government agencies have yet to make their move.
Guiao estimated that the PSC could get as much as PHP25 billion after PAGCOR cut down its contribution to just 2.1735 percent of its gross income starting in 1993 on the strength of an executive order from the Office of the President handed down during the time of President Fidel V. Ramos.
“Ang kuwenta ko, tingin ko nasa PHP25 billion siya (My estimate, I think it is around PHP25 billion),” said Guiao, who considers the decision as the most consequential event since the creation of the PSC in 1990.
The Rain or Shine coach, who was the lone petitioner in the case, noted that such a huge budget could help the establishment of sports complexes around the country and fund the training and campaign of Filipino athletes for years to come.
“Masarap pakinggan, magandang isipin. Pero ang dapat makinabang dito yung mga atleta. Makalimutan na kami, ok lang yun. Pero at least sa next generations of athletes, may na-contribute kami (Good to hear, good to think about. But the athletes should benefit from this. Forget about us, that's okay. But at least for the next generations of athletes, we contributed something),” Guiao said of this huge contribution he and his lawyer provided for Philippine sports.
“Ang dapat lang makinabang diyan yung bayan, yung athletes, at yung sports program sa grassroots level (The people, the athletes, and the sports program at the grassroots level should benefit from it).” (PR)
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