City officials discussed the funding crisis for athlete incentives during the Baguio City Council’s regular session on March 4, 2024. The discussion stemmed from the looming deficit in the budget allocated for rewarding the achievements of athletes in the city.
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Pena revealed the current budget had fallen drastically short of the required funds to pay the incentives of the athletes in the city. He said the city government owed athletes a staggering sum of P7.5 million for accomplishments in 2023, while only allocating P4.5 million for 2024.
Dela Pena explained that while there is a surplus from the 2023 budget, it is insufficient to cover the outstanding incentives owed to athletes. To cover for the P7.5 million incentives, he said their office needs a budget of approximately P3 million for 2024, expressing optimism that the Local Finance Committee would provide the necessary funds.
He proposed increasing the budget, stating that before the pandemic, the budget for incentives was P8 million but was reduced to P3.5 million during the pandemic. He suggested revisiting the budget to meet the increased demand due to the resurgence of sports events post-pandemic.
One significant factor that had led to the budget deficit was the amendment of the city’s Sports Code which allowed the increase of incentives provided to athletes and removed certain restrictions or limitations on those incentives including a cap on the amount of incentive money they could receive, regardless of the number of medals won.
Gaudencio Gonzales, Sports Development Officer IV, said the removal of limitations was a response to the complaints of athletes and their parents who felt that it was unfair for athletes who excelled to be subject to limitations on their incentives.
Councilors Betty Lourdes Tabanda and Peter Fianza emphasized the importance of following proper procedures outlined in the Sports Code for recognizing athletes and drawing incentives. They suggested that only athletes who had received prior authorization from the city should be eligible for incentives.
Furthermore, the councilors recommended revisiting certain provisions of the Sports Code to address all issues raised during the discussion.
The city council referred the matter to the Committee on Youth Welfare and Sports Development for further study. **Jordan G. Habbiling
