Patafa needs R30K a day for food
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2018 07:49:00 +0000
By Nick Giongco
The Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa) will ask the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for a hefty budget for next year in line with the country’s bid to put on a show of force during the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
“Gusto nyo ba tayong mapahiya? (Would you like us to be embarrassed on home soil?)” Patafa chief Philip Juico said yesterday.
Juico said the Patafa will submit to PSC chairman William Ramirez a budget proposal of as much as R80 million.
“That will cover the foreign exposure, training overseas, hiring of foreign coaches, nutritional needs and lodging of the athletes and coaches,” said Juico, who has a pool of 40 top athletes and coaches.
The food intake alone of the 40, including those based in the US, will amount to almost R1 million a month,” said Juico, noting that the Patafa needs R30,000 a day just for food.
As almost everyone is already on holiday mode, Juico said the Patafa athletes are set to relocate to Lingayen, Pangasinan, in the second week of January to resume their training for the SEAG buildup.
The decision to move to Pangasinan stems from the massive repairs that will be done to the Patafa’s homebase at Philsports in Pasig and the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The country is staging the SEAG from Nov. 30-Dec. 10 with the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, as the main hub, an event the host are bidding to win for the first time since 2005.