The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center Inc. (PDRCI) renewed their partnership on sports arbitration on Thursday.
PSC Chairman Richard Bachmann and PDRCI acting president Rogelio Nicandro formally signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
“Since 2021, our collaboration with PDRCI has helped the PSC in carrying out our mandate in fostering a culture of fairness and accountability within our national sports associations,” Bachmann said in a statement.
“By renewing our partnership, we are reinforcing our dedication to providing athletes and stakeholders with a reliable and efficient avenue for dispute resolution,” he added.
The MOA aims to institutionalize and implement a sports Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) policy especially for national sports associations to ensure fast and cost-effective resolution of sports-related disputes using flexible rule-guided procedure.
“We are excited to renew our partnership with the PSC which we firmly believe is beneficial to our athletes, the NSAs, and all other stakeholders in Philippine sports,” PDRCI Executive Director Arleo Magtibay Jr. said.
“As we provide a venue where disputes may be settled amicably and expeditiously, our athletes and officials may focus more on their training and competitions and bring glory to the country,” he added.
The PSC had previously approved a policy requiring NSAs to submit an Arbitration Provision to the sports agency as part of their Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, and pursuant to Section 181 of R.A. No. 11232 or the Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines.
The PSC and the PDRCI both agreed further collaboration on all activities highlighting the benefits of ADR, including webinars, seminars, lectures and other information dissemination and training activities.
The signing ceremony was also attended by PSC Commissioner Matthew “Fritz” Gaston and Executive Director Paulo Francisco Tatad, PDRCI Chairman Victor Lazatin, Sports Arbitration Committee Chairman Charlie Ho, and lawyer Dondi Gaston. (PNA)