Dignity in Uniform

The country swells with pride every time a Filipino athlete steps up to the medal podium of an international event.

Filipinos cheer their triumphs, share their feats on social media, and take selfies with them. To them, these athletes are heroes, larger-than-life figures who endured long hours of grueling training to hoist the national flag on the world stage.

Yet, after the cheers die down, the heartbreaking reality sinks in. Applause cannot buy groceries and pride cannot pay utility bills.

Recently, stories of athletes selling their government-issued uniforms and accessories for international tournaments surfaced online. In a DAILY TRIBUNE post on social media, a member of the national team was seen selling a white team jacket and the luggage issued by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the 20th Asian Games and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.

Seeing a member of the national squad having to let go of his official tracksuit, training kits, and team apparel just to afford basic necessities is truly heartbreaking. It is a distressing visual: the emblem of our national dignity pawned off to cover rent, groceries and transport costs to training venues.

The national men’s volleyball team is a perfect example. During the Asian Games, Alas Pilipinas Men team captain Bryan Bagunas publicly revealed that they couldn’t train with a complete roster as they had not received their allowance for the past few months following the International Volleyball Federation’s suspension of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

Worse, some of them, especially the student-athletes, had to resort to borrowing money just to attend national team trainings. Wow! Where is the dignity in that?

Now, can we blame these members of the national team for making a quick buck out of their government-issued apparel?

For the longest time, the financial net for our sports heroes was razor-thin. Many entry-level national athletes were expected to train at an elite level on allowances lower than the minimum wage. When basic monthly needs outpace income, even the most dedicated athletes face an impossible choice between pride and survival.

Fortunately, the PSC has started turning the tide. Patrick “Pato” Gregorio had barely warmed his seat as chairman when he announced the implementation of a long-overdue salary increase for national athletes and coaches. By stepping up to address inflation and living standards, Gregorio demonstrated that listening to athletes’ grievances and upgrading their allowance were both necessary and urgent.

Now, athletes get an additional P5,000 allowance, costing the government P10 million a month.

But the burden of dignifying our athletes cannot rest on the government sports agency alone. It is time for various national sports associations (NSAs) to step up and fulfill their mandate.

While the PSC provides macro-level funding and baseline stipends, the NSAs serve as the guardians of their respective sports. An NSA cannot see its role as merely administrative — selecting lineups, arranging travel documents, and showing up for photo ops when medals are won. True sports governance requires a holistic commitment to the athletes’ welfare.

The NSA leaders must ensure that every single thing an athlete requires — from proper nutrition, medical support, and mental health resources to adequate equipment and supplemental sponsorships — is provided. If athletes are forced to sell their uniforms to make ends meet, it represents a breakdown in the primary support ecosystem managed by federation leaders.

Again, we go back to men’s volleyball. Upon learning that his players were struggling to make ends meet, newly elected PNVF president Frank Lao immediately grabbed his checkbook and handed Bagunas checks for P20,000 for each member of the team. Sure, it wasn’t a life-changing amount, but the businessman showed that an NSA leader should be willing to mobilize every available resource to treat our athletes with dignity.

Like Lao, national sports leaders must find a way to cultivate private-sector partnerships, secure corporate backing, and manage funding transparently so that supplemental allowances reach the grassroots and elite pools alike.

Athletes should never have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or how they can make it to the training venue while preparing to fight for the nation’s honor on the world stage.

To wear the Philippine flag is an honor that demands immense sacrifice. But that sacrifice should never require an athlete to trade in their self-respect or sell off their national uniforms to survive.

The PSC has set the momentum; the NSAs must now match that commitment, ensure total care, and guarantee that our heroes are given the dignity and livelihood they truly deserve.