Sports bill seeks to develop athletes from grassroots

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has introduced a bill that aims to provide a structure for a more comprehensive national sports program that would link grassroots sports promotion to national sports development.

Through his proposed Philippine National Games (PNG) Act of 2022, the chairman of the Senate committee on sports seeks to ensure a more inclusive system of promoting promising Filipino athletes and providing them greater opportunity to become future contenders in international sporting competitions.

The bill also hopes to address other Olympic and Asian Games sports that are good sources of medals for Filipino athletes but are not regularly included in Palarong Pambansa or any other sports programs in the country.

In particular, the bill aspires to institutionalize “a truly comprehensive national grassroots sports program, which will harness the vast potential of the citizenry in discovering and developing champion athletes who could excel in international sports competitions, thus giving the country pride and international goodwill and addressing the long-standing problems of Philippine sports in general.”

In the proposed bill, the Philippine National Games shall serve as the government’s premier national sports competition to be held once every two years.

The Palarong Pambansa provided for under Republic Act No. 10588, and other local sports competitions organized by local government units or the private sector shall serve as a “feeder” and preparatory sports program for the PNG.

The bill also provides for the respective roles of concerned agencies, such as the Philippine Sports Commission, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, local government units, Philippine Olympic Committee, National Sports Associations and local sports councils in the implementation of the proposed act.

Emphasizing the country’s great sporting potential, Go has repeatedly urged the government to continue improving its sports development initiatives, particularly in terms of providing adequate support for local athletes and promoting sports at the grassroots level.

“Sports play a big role in youth development. They are taught values of discipline and hard work. At the same time, we are complementing our efforts of keeping them away from illegal drugs and crime, and making them productive citizens of our country,” Go explained.

“As chair of the Senate committee on sports, I am one with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in highlighting the importance of sports in nation-building. I reiterate my firm commitment to always look after the welfare of our athletes and to push for long-term and grassroots sports development,” he added.

The senator earlier authored Republic Act No. 11470, establishing the National Academy of Sports System and Main Campus at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac.

Go also joined former president Rodrigo Duterte at the groundbreaking of the Philippine Sports Training Center last June 17 in Bagac, Bataan. The complex is targeted for completion by 2024.