It may have taken nearly a decade, but Yeng Guiao has finally scored what may be the biggest underdog victory of his career as a proud Filipino sportsman.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court denied the appeal of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, unanimously affirming its earlier ruling that both PAGCOR and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office must remit funds to the Philippine Sports Commission.
The decision enforces Republic Act 6847, requiring both agencies to turn over a percentage of their earnings to the PSC. It also orders PAGCOR and PCSO to submit a comprehensive annual accounting of all overdue remittances — from 1993 to the present for PAGCOR, and from 2006 onward for PCSO.
The total unpaid balance, estimated at ₱33 billion, must be settled over the next 10 years.
Speaking at the Philsports Arena during the Spain–Brazil match of the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, and joined by PSC Chairman Pato Gregorio and PFF President John Gutierrez, the former Gilas Pilipinas mentor stressed that the victory is not about him. Instead, he said, it is about young Filipino athletes whose dreams now have a better fighting chance.
“We’re excited, we’re happy because it’s a long, hard struggle,” said Guiao. “It’s actually been forgotten by a lot of people, but it’s a victory for Philippine sports. It’s just doing justice to Philippine sports in general, to our young athletes, to our grassroots programs, to our improvement of facilities, getting better coaches, getting better equipment, and nutrition. So we have no excuse anymore. We can compete at a level where we can’t compete.
“So I have no personal gain in this. After a while, I will be forgotten, or this will be forgotten. But the most important thing is that the next generation of athletes is well taken care of.”
True to form, Guiao credited the people who stood with him, foremost among them Atty. Jun Guzman.
In a classic underdog story, Guzman took up the case when no one else would, going toe-to-toe with the top legal teams representing two of the country’s biggest government-owned corporations — and still finding a way to win.
“I would also like to thank our lawyer, Atty. Jun Guzman, who spent time and effort all these 10 years, fighting, arguing our case against the best lawyers of PAGCOR and PCSO for free,” said the former Pampanga congressman. “He knows I could not afford to pay him, but he still gave his best, and we succeeded.”
With the victory now final, Guiao called on the PSC to steward the funds with integrity and transparency. Philippine sports, he said, can set an example for responsible governance and proper use of public resources — a rarity in a country long plagued by corruption scandals.
He also urged the nation’s sports leaders to guard the dreams of Filipino youth and ensure these are never taken from them.
Gregorio, for his part, promised that Guiao’s decade-long fight will not be in vain.
As PSC Chairman, he vowed that every peso will be used in line with the agency’s long-term vision for sports development.
“Number one, yung athletes welfare ng kapakanan ng atleta in terms ng pagkain nila, pagbibihis nila, uniforme nila, sinasakyan nila, training nila abroad — very important,” said Gregorio. “Number two, yung facilities improvement, yung long overdue facilities improvement. Alam naman natin na talagang dito pa tayo, maganda lang din itong Philsports dahil nag-host tayo ng futsal, at dahil sa gusto ng Presidente at yung First Lady.
“Pero maraming pa tayong kailangan gawin. Baka doon diyan yung Rizal Memorial, nakita niyo naman ho, konting ulan lang, baha na. So, ang inuuna pa natin inaalis doon sa Rizal, yung mga atleta, konting baha lang po yun. So, we will need to solve that.”
Gregorio added that part of the remitted funds should go toward completing regional sports facilities across the country — such as those in UP Davao and Siargao — to support athlete development. He and Guiao noted that these centers could also double as recreational venues for Filipino communities.
“But you know, ang pinaka-importante kung gusto kong sabihin sa inyo is yung pag-create yung regional training centers natin in the provinces. Madami yung mga training centers, maraming sports facilities all over the country na hindi pa po tapos. Kung natatapos po natin yan, ang laki ng benepisyo sa mga atleta natin at sa mga grassroots development natin,” said Gregorio.
#WATCH: MERRY CHRISTMAS SA MGA ATHLETES
Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao wants Philippine sports to set an example in using public funds after his Supreme Court win regarding PAGCOR funds for the PSC 🇵🇭
📹 @lorenzodelc /Tiebreaker Times#FutsalWWC #LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/Op3xFJSIAJ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) December 5, 2025
