Benefits and incentives for national athletes are required by law, but it often takes the very public grousing of athletes for people to remember that it's a thing.
Case in point: wushu gold medalist Agatha Wong's post-SEA Games tweet, where she lamented that it "[g]ets quite annoying to keep having to explain to managers that this kind of benefit actually exists [and] some are even doubtful."
[twitter:https://twitter.com/AgathaWongy/status/1208335752318222336]
If you're a national athlete or a business owner clueless about this particular benefit, here's everything you need to know about the 20% national athlete's discount.
There's a law about this?
Yes. In 2015, Congress passed Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits Incentives Act (NACBIA). A year later, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) issued the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) regarding the administration of NACBIA. The law amended a 2001 law which had granted monetary incentives to national athletes who win in international competitions.
The NACBIA increased the amounts of these incentives, included athletes with disabilities in the incentive scheme, and added other benefits and privileges for national athletes and coaches.
Among these benefits and privileges is the 20% discount available for national athletes and coaches.
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So, how does this 20% discount work?
The 20% discount can only be availed of by a national athlete or coach. Under the NACBIA, national athletes are defined as Filipino athletes who are members of the national training pool and recognized and accredited by both the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the PSC. National coaches are Filipino coaches of national athletes, members of the national coaches training pool, and also recognized by both the POC and the PSC.
If you’re a national athlete or coach, you have to get your National Sports Team Member Card (National Team ID) and Booklet from the PSC. Under the IRR, the National Team ID and Booklet are valid for a year.
There are some benefits that you can avail of by simply showing the National Team ID, but there are some that require the Booklet as well. The summary below shows when, where, and how the 20% discount can be availed of.
Domestic Transportation
- 20% on all fares for domestic air and sea travel
- 20% on all fares for public land transportation (buses, railways, jeepneys, taxis, and shuttle services)
Hotels and Lodging
- 20% on room accommodations and other amenities offered by the hotel or establishment
- 20% discount on hotel-based restaurants, barbershops, parlors, saunas, gyms, internet facilities (even room service)
Restaurants
- 20% on food, drinks, dessert, and other consumable items
- Also applies to take-out/take-home/drive-thru orders as long as the national athlete or coach is present and personally ordering and presenting his or her National Team ID
- Also applies to delivery orders as long as the National Team ID number is given when making the order and the ID Card itself is presented upon delivery.
Recreation Centers and Gyms
- 20% on fees, charges, and rentals for any sports facilities, equipment, and other accessories for sports
- This includes renting out a venue for working-out or training (like bowling lanes, tennis courts, gyms, ballroom dancing)
- Does not apply to country clubs which are for private exclusive membership though.
Medicine and Drug Purchases
- 20% for the purchase of generic or branded medicines and drugs
- 20% for the purchase of vitamins and supplements prescribed by a doctor
- The Booklet must also be presented to avail of this discount.
Sports Equipment Purchases
- 20% on the purchase of sports equipment for the actual and exclusive use of the national athlete or coach
- This includes game and player equipment.
- To avail of this discount though, the national sports association of the athlete or coach must endorse the purchase by noting it in his or her Booklet, and the Booklet must then be presented.
Admission Fees
- 20% discount for admission fees to movie theaters, concert halls, and other similar places of cultures, leisure, and amusement.
Establishments MUST GRANT these 20% discounts. The IRR makes it explicit that even if the Bureau of Internal Revenue fails to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for implementation, these benefits must still be implemented.
Of course, the establishments may claim the discounts as tax deductions to lower their taxable income.
How does it combine with other benefits and exemptions?
Take note: these benefits do not cover value-added tax (VAT) exemptions. So, unlike senior citizens who are granted 20% discounts and VAT exemptions for their own purchases, national athletes and coaches are only given the 20% discount.
Also, only the national athlete and coach may avail of the discount. No sharing allowed. The 20% discount can’t be used in combination with other privileges under existing laws either — so if you’re a senior citizen and a national athlete or coach, you can’t combine both and come up with a 40% discount.
If an establishment refuses to give the 20% discount, what should a national athlete or coach do?
Now, if you're a national athlete and want to avail your benefits, but are met with quizzical looks from waiters or shot down with the usual, “Sorry, wala pa pong memo galing sa management," here's what you can do.
Remember, not all establishments know about the NACBIA, let alone the 20% discount. A little education can go a long way, and some have been willing and quick to comply once they find out about it. Aside from presenting your National Team ID and Booklet, it’ll be helpful to have a copy of the NACBIA and the IRR saved on your phone to show the establishment.
For those who still refuse to honor the discount, you may gently and kindly remind them that violation of the NACBIA can land the owner, president, or any responsible officer of the establishment with a fine from P50,000 to P200,000 and imprisonment from six months to six years. Lopping 20% off from the price of a meal seems like a small price to pay compared to jail time.
Mickey Ingles is a leading sports lawyer working in the law firm of Ingles Laurel Calderon. He is the author of the country's first and only book on sports law, Laws for Sports and the Sporty. He also teaches Emerging Issues in Sports Law in the Ateneo Law School.
Source: Spin PH
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