Sports incentives under RA 9064

Master Blaster
Neil Bravo


In a country whose development in sports is always confronted with financial issues, a good legislation and its implementation could just be the shot in the arm needed to put life back to the sick Filipino sportsman.

Republic Act 9064 or the sports incentives law may well be the fresh fully-loaded oxygen tank to the life-support system of Philippine sports. With the implementation of this law, the future looks good for Filipino athletes, coaches and trainers—past, present and future.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia has given the green light to the release of incentives of all past achievers—athletes, coaches and trainers alike—under RA 9064.

The sports incentives law, enacted by Congress on April 5, 2001, is known as “an act granting cash and other non-monetary benefits and incentives to national athletes, coaches and trainers, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes.”

The beauty of RA 9064 is that it provides for such benefits as scholarships, housing priority, SSS coverage, discounts for travels and entertainment, retirement and death benefits, among others. Establishments extending the privileges to the achievers can charge the sales as tax credits.

Aside from providing athletes, coaches and their trainers something to look forward to everytime they fight for the flag in international competitions, the good thing about this law is that it applies retroactively to all achievers before its enactment in 2001. Meaning, those who have qualified under Section 8 of the incentives law except SEA Games achievers are entitled to all the benefits and incentives.

The sports incentives law works like the more popular legislations of equal application like the Senior Citizens Law. It just probably lacks the force it needed to fully implement the same.

The law has been passed way back in 2001 and I just could not imagine why it took our leaders this long to finally put this law grinding. According to Section 13 of this law, the PSC in coordination with the POC, DepEd, CHED, TESDA and other agencies shall promulgate and issue the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9064. The problem with past PSC administrations is that they were either not in good terms with the POC or are busy playing golf during office hours or tinkering on some government contracts.

The IRR was supposed to have been promulgated within 60 days after the enactment of the said law. This means had the past PSC worked out on the formulation of the IRR, the law could have been ready for implementation as early as the third quarter of 2001. It took more than 9 years to recognize the true worth of this legislation. But with Chairman Garcia working well with POC president Peping Cojuangco, and with President Noy’s marching orders, the law is now in good hands.

We are upbeat that with the initiative of Chairman Garcia, the IRR will soon be passed. I don’t see any glitches with the POC, as well as with the DepEd, CHED, TESDA and other agencies in the government.

It took a dyed-in-the-wool sportsman in Chairman Garcia to appreciate the value of recognition. Incidentally, 63-year old Garcia is himself a former national team coach in golf. Garcia was coach of the RP squad which produced a gold medal through Ramon Brobio in men’s golf. Brobio gave the country a gold medal in golf at the Asian Games when he bested the field to win the men's individual golf title. Before this, Brobio became the first triple winner of the 18th junior world golf championship held in San Diego, California on July 18, 1985.

Brobio and several other athletes from all over the country—Davao achievers included—indeed deserve the privileges of one who has brought honor to the country in the field of sports.

And then there’s the ripple effect. RA 9064 could also serve as a legal basis for local governments to streamline sports incentives and benefits into the local development agenda. There is now a legal framework from which LGUs with equivalent legislations like Davao City could either revisit and revise, or for LGUs without such legislations to draft one.

I remember this is one area that has always been the subject of debates everytime a local athlete comes home a winner in sports competitions both national and international. The incentives law can give the local legislators to craft an ordinance with clear-cut parameters. This will finally avoid the confusion of extending incentives to local athletes.

There are requisites for the application of RA 9064 though, and this should be well understood by the sporting community. There are specific recognized competitions like the Olympics, the quadrennial World Championships, the Asian Games and the SEA Games which limits the coverage of the law. Coaches and trainers must also be recognized members of the Philippine Coaches Accreditation Council (PCAC).

What I am saying is that achievers must fall under the Olympic structure in terms of affiliation. That is why it is important for the local government units to replicate the legislation but address the other sporting affiliations and parameters not covered by the statute.

That is another important subject matter and we will discuss that in another column. For now, let’s rave at this development. There really are some things more important in sports administration that our past leaders have failed miserably to appreciate and address.

You do not even have to be a visionary to implement what is already enacted.

What you need here is plain, simple common sense.