QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 6847)
The State’s policy is to promote physical education and encourage and sustain sports development to foster physical fitness, self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence through a unified national sports promotion and development program, and to establish a single, unified, integrated national sports policy-making body.
RA 6847 created the Philippine Sports Commission (Commission), a body corporate.
It has the same status as a governmental regulatory national agency attached to the Office of the President; the Chairman is at the level of a department undersecretary and the Commissioners are at the level of department assistant secretaries.
The Commission is the sole policy-making and coordinating body of all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the Philippines.
The school sports development program is formulated and implemented by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) with the assistance of the Commission within the framework of the national sports development program.
Examples include: (1) planning, implementing, and overseeing an integrated amateur sports promotion and development program; (2) establishing linkages with international sports associations; (3) planning and overseeing a program for the Philippines to bid for and host the Olympic Games; (4) establishing and maintaining sports facilities and centers; (5) rationalizing and regulating publicly-funded sports complexes and supervising their management and maintenance (excluding school/college-owned complexes); plus others listed in Section 7.
The Commission is composed of a Chairman and four (4) Commissioners, all appointed by the President.
They must be Filipino citizens, publicly-recognized personalities in sports, at least thirty (30) years of age, and of good moral character.
It may exercise supervisory and visitorial powers over national sports associations regarding their sports promotion and development programs in connection with which financial assistance is extended by the Commission.
The POC is recognized as the National Olympic Committee, is autonomous, and maintains primary responsibility for the country’s participation in Olympic and other international competitions under the rules of international sports bodies. National sports associations are recognized by the Commission and are autonomous with exclusive technical control of their sport, but subject to the Commission’s supervisory/visitorial powers.
No team, school, club, organization, or entity may be admitted as a voting member unless 60% of the athletes composing it are Filipino citizens.
Under Section 7, the Commission must rationalize and regulate publicly-funded sports complexes (excluding school/college-owned complexes) and supervise their management and maintenance. Under Section 23, certain national government-owned facilities and some specified complexes are transferred to the Commission for management and control, while local government, state colleges/universities, or public schools retain their own facilities.
The management and full control of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the Quezon City Velodrome are transferred to the Commission upon effectivity of the Act.
The Commission has full control and management of the University of Life Sports Complex two (2) years from the effectivity of the Act, but it has full use of and access to the facilities immediately upon organization and start of operations. The proviso also states that existing non-formal education support and financial assistance continues with annual increase not more than 10% per year up to December 31, 1992.
There is an Executive Director appointed or designated by the Chairman, preferably from among the four Commissioners, who directs and supervises day-to-day operations. Deputy Executive Directors are appointed by the Chairman.
They must be citizens of the Philippines, at least 25 years old, of good moral character, college graduates, and have at least five (5) years of experience in sports administration.
An initial appropriation of P25,000,000.00 is granted from the National Treasury. Operating expenses for the Commission itself shall not exceed 20% of the annual appropriation.
It consists of: (1) 30% representing the charity fund from the proceeds of six (6) sweepstakes/lottery draws per annum; (2) taxes on horse races during special holidays; (3) 5% of the gross income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation; (4) proceeds from the sale of stamps (sports events/gold stamps); and (5) 3% of all taxes collected on imported athletic equipment, all automatically remitted directly to the Commission.
Yes: Section 18 exempts from any tax of any kind the use of sports facilities for popular participation; Section 19 exempts the Commission from customs duties, taxes, and tariffs on qualifying importations; Section 20 provides tax exemptions/deductions for donations/contributions to the Commission/POC/national associations certified by the Commission; and Section 21 exempts the Commission/delegations and athletes/coaches/officials from travel-related taxes/fees.