[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’DepEd: No delay in Bacolod Palaro players’ allowance’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=”]
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
BACOLOD City – An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) Negros Island Region denied there was any delay in the disbursement of allowance for this capital city’s Palarong Pambansa players.
The DepEd started releasing the allowance of Bacolod representatives only yesterday.
Rumors on social media said athletes from this city were unable to buy food due to the delay in the distribution of their allowance.
The 60th Palarong Pambansa in Antique province started on Sunday.
Most of the games were being held at the Binirayan Sports Complex in the capital town of San Jose de Buenavista.
Assistant Athletic Manager Eden Ariola was unable to confirm or deny the rumors but defended the DepEd-Negros for releasing the allowance only yesterday.
The city government allocated P3.5 million for its Palaro representatives, as approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Combine this with the budget from the DepEd, and each Bacolod athlete gets P8,000 — P6,000 “training budget” and P2,000 “playing budget.”
“The Bacolod team has the largest number of athletes in the entire NIR (Negros Island Region),” Ariola said.
The “preparation of documents” and the “playing venues far from the capital city of Antique” were factors, too, she added.
City hall gave the financial assistance to the DepEd on April 20, or three days before the weeklong national sporting event officially opened.
Ariola confirmed this. She stressed that they cannot rush and must follow the “proper process” in releasing the allowance.
“If it does not go through the proper process, we will get in trouble with the COA (Commission on Audit),” she explained.
Around 377 athletes and 20 officials are representing Bacolod City, Ariola said.
DepEd records showed the athletes from Negros Island Region were billeted in Dao Catholic High School and Tobias Fornier Central School.
The two schools were 28 kilometers away from the Binirayan Sports Complex in San Jose de Buenavista, records showed.
Earlier Councilor Caesar Distrito said the allowance from the city government will come from the Special Education Fund.
It will cover food, transportation, billeting, and other essential needs of the athletes on top of what the DepEd provides, he said./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
