PHILIPPINES Trends and Developments Contributed by: Ignatius Michael Ingles, The Law Firm of Ingles Laurel Calderon
Introduction The funding of national sports in the Philippines is a trend to look out for in 2025 and the years to come. With reports estimating the support needed to fund an Olympian with a chance of winning a gold at over tens of millions of pesos, the search for the next Carlos Yulo (two-time gold medallist) and Hidilyn Diaz (the first Filipino gold medallist) got a well-needed boost from a Supreme Court decision that promises much needed funding for national sports in the Philip - pines. Background Decided in 2024, Joseller M. Guiao v PAGCOR, PSCO, and the Office of the President is a land - mark case for sports law in the Philippines. Pro - fessional basketball coach Yeng Guiao, then serving as a member of the House of Repre - sentatives, filed a petition for mandamus with the Supreme Court questioning why the Philip - pine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (the “PAGCOR” ), the government corporation man - dated to regulate gaming in the Philippines, had not been remitting 5% of its gross income to the Philippine Sports Commission (the “PSC” ) for the National Sports Development Fund (the “NSDF” ), and requiring them to do so. As well as the petition against the PAGCOR, Coach Guiao also brought the Philippine Char - ity Sweepstakes Office (the “PCSO” ) to court, questioning why the PCSO was not remitting its share to the PSC either. The PCSO is the main government agency mandated to raise funds for health programmes, which it does through sweepstakes and the national lottery. Under Section 26 of Republic Act No 6847 of 1990 (the “Philippine Sports Commission Act” ), the PAGCOR is mandated to remit 5% of its gross income to the PSC to improve sports
funding in the Philippines. The PCSO is also supposed to remit 30% of the proceeds of six sweepstakes or lottery draws per year to the PSC as part of the NSDF. For clarity, Section 26 of the Philippine Sports Commission Act states: “In order to provide the necessary funds required for the organizational and initial calendar year of operational expenditures of the Commis- sion, the amount of Twenty-five million pesos (P25,000,000.00) from the National Treasury is hereby appropriated: Provided, That operat - ing expenses for the Commission itself shall not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the annual appropriation and that at least eighty percent (80%) of said annual appropriation and all of the national sports development funds, as hereinafter provided, shall be disbursed for the national sports program, particularly in support of the identification, recruitment and training of athletes in pre-regional, regional, national and international competitions, including the imple - mentation of the Decade of Physical Fitness and Sports: 1990-2000. To finance the country’s integrated sports devel - opment programme, including the holding of the national games and all other sports competitions at all levels throughout the country as well as the country’s participation at international sports competitions, such as, but not limited to, the Olympic, Asian, and Southeast Asian Games, and all other international competitions, sanc - tioned by the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations, thirty percent (30%) representing the charity fund of the pro - ceeds of six (6) sweepstakes or lottery draws per annum, taxes on horse races during special holi - days, five percent (5%) of the gross income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the proceeds from the sale of stamps as here- inafter provided, and three percent (3%) of all
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