The country’s participation in the 18th Asian Games is in serious jeopardy after the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) maintained it will not fund the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) for its failure to settle its past expenses.

Sports commissioner Ramon Fernandez said the agency has approved a total of P72 million for the airfare, accommodation and allowance of the national delegation headed to the Asian Games in Jakarta this August.

But he said they are unsure about releasing the fund after the Commission on Audit (COA) red flagged financial assistance to the POC until it liquidates its expenses for the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.

POC President Victorico Vargas, however, said he inherited the problem from the administration of ousted POC president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco, who had failed to report on his P10-million expense for the track suits and competitions of the athletes.

Vargas won the court-ordered re-vote over Cojuangco last February. The POC earlier disqualified Vargas from seeking the presidency over an attendance issue, which the court said was based on a faulty rule.

“It has become our problem now,” Vargas told the Tribune in an earlier interview. “But we have asked top officials of the POC about it and we were assured they have settled the matter before. It turned out they did not.”

The government’s funding arm for sports also refused to release P6.5 million to the POC for its hosting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation council meeting last month in Taguig.

The PSC gave the same reason for the non-release of the fund despite its approval by the PSC Board.

The country’s hosting of the SEA Games in 2019 is also left hanging by the impasse.

“The budget for the Asian Games is already approved, but we can’t release it until the POC liquidates the government fund we extended last year,” said Fernandez, referring to Cojuangco’s unsettled exwpenses.

“But don’t get us wrong. We’re supporting them (POC) all the way. But we are complying with the COA regulation and we can’t release anything if they will not liquidate their previous expenses. We don’t want COA to run after us,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez added that the POC had offered to pay for the amount but the COA said it is against rules and regulations.

“That’s not how it works,” said Fernandez, who is expected to become the acting PSC chairman pending appointment from Malacanang.

“They have to come up with a full liquidation report backed with purchase document so we can release their budget for the Asian Games,” he said.

“If I were them (POC), I would advance the Asian Games budget and reimburse it once their liquidation report has been completed. It’s always an option. After all, I heard they have money from MVP (Sports Foundation) and PBA (Philippine Basketball Association),” Fernandez said.

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