President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for a review of the financial support provided to Filipino athletes competing in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan after members of the men's volleyball team claimed they were resorted to borrowing money as they have not received allowance since July.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Monday the government would look into the circumstances surrounding the complaints and determine whether any sports official had been negligent or had mishandled funds intended for athletes.

“Unang-una, papa-imbestigahan po ito para malaman natin kung ano ba iyong naranasan ng ating mga athlete, mga ating manlalaro,” Castro said during a Palace press briefing.

“Hindi po kasi gusto ng ating Pangulo na iyong mga nagre-represent sa ating bansa ay sila pa ang nahihirapan. Dahil parang hindi tumutugon ang gobyerno sa pangangailangan nila. Ayaw-na-ayaw po iyan ng Pangulo,” she added.

Alas Pilipinas men's captain Bryan Bagunas disclosed the financial difficulties encountered by the national volleyball team before and during its Asian Games campaign.

Bagunas said members of the team had not received their regular allowances since July, forcing some players to borrow money from teammates and other people just to pay transportation expenses to attend training.

The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) has since apologized to the national athletes, acknowledging that some players had been forced to shoulder expenses and borrow money and admitting that its efforts to address their needs had not been enough.

Castro said Malacañang would first establish the facts and determine where any shortcomings occurred before drawing conclusions about responsibility.

She stressed that officials found to have abused their authority, particularly in handling funds intended for athletes, should be held accountable. Presidential News Desk