IT wasn’t just Alas Pilipinas Men who had to dig into their own pockets at the Asian Games.
A close source to the national team program confirmed to SPIN.ph that even Alas Women also had to shoulder some expenses out of pocket during their stay in Aichi-Nagoya, where they finished ninth.
READ: Errors undo Alas Men in Asiad opener vs Korea
The revelation comes after Alas Men captain Bryan Bagunas detailed the team’s financial struggles in an interview shared by the Philippine Olympic Committee media pool on Sunday following their loss to South Korea.
Bagunas said the men’s team had gone without an allowance since July, leaving some players, many of them student-athletes, with little choice but to borrow money just to make it to training.
“Regarding sa allowance namin, talagang kahit 'yung mga players, nangungutang na from the other player or sa mga ibang tao para makapunta sa training and sa pauwi sa kanilang bahay,” Bagunas said.
“Sobrang tough para sa amin na mag-ensayo araw-araw. Minsan pito lang kami nag-e-ensayo, walo, gano'n. Sobrang hirap, sobrang tough.”
Some players, Bagunas added, were even left without transportation money.
“'Yung iba walang nang pamasahe kasi 'yun nga, wala kaming naging allowance from July,” he said. “So 'yun, naintindihan ko naman kasi most of the players naman is student-athlete. Talagang nagtutulungan lang kami para makapag-ensayo kami nang kumpleto.
“'Yung iba nanghihiram na talaga eh. Sobrang ano, kahit wala na, wala na kasi talagang pamasahe.”
Bagunas said the only allowance the players received came from the Philippine Sports Commission, with the rest of their day-to-day expenses coming from their own pockets.
“Naging allowance lang namin is from the PSC. Other than that, wala na. As in sari-sarili na,” he said.
“Minsan, kami na 'yung gumagastos ng lunch namin, pagkain namin, kasi hindi na kami maaabot sa meal. Kasi 'yung training namin is alanganin sa time ng meal time sa hotel. So 'yun, kanya-kanya na lang gastos from own pocket.”
The issue, he said, was particularly difficult because the players were representing the country while having to worry about basic expenses.
“Pag hindi kami nakakaabot sa meal time, kasi 'yung training namin is conflict sa meal time sa hotel. So pagkakabalik namin, sobrang nakakalungkot kasi nagre-represent kami for the country, then ayun, hindi namin nafi-feel 'yung suporta na dapat para sa amin.”
“Ayun, sobrang na-ano lang ako, lalo na sa mga bata.”
What happened?
The financial difficulties are notable given that the PSC announced before the Games that every member of Team Philippines would receive an additional P6,000 allowance, on top of existing support.
The PSC also approved an additional P30 million to address unexpected expenses ahead of the Games.
But Bagunas’ account points to a gap between the support announced for the delegation and the day-to-day realities faced by the volleyball players.
And according to a source close to the program, the Alas Women encountered similar issues during their campaign.
The women’s team, coached by Taka Minowa, completed its Asian Games campaign earlier this week with three straight wins in the classification round to finish ninth.
Their expenses, like those of the men, were not entirely covered during their stay, according to the source.
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