Alan: NAS Act passage, ‘dream come true’
SENATOR-elect Alan Peter Cayetano thanked his fellow lawmakers who helped push for the passage of the National Academy of Sports (NAS) Act, saying it is a “dream come true” for sports educators in the country.
“It’s the first of its kind, isa po natin itong bill, si Sen. Pia Cayetano has always been pushing for this, Sen. Bong Go and myself were authors of this also, kung saan ang elite athletes natin from elementary pa lang re-recruit-in na,” Cayetano said.
“Dream come true ito for many, many of our athletes, of our physical education teachers, mga nasa human kinetics, at y’un pong mga scientists na nagsasabi ng importansya po ng physical activity sa learning,” he added.
Cayetano said the NAS will serve as the go-to state school for sports, just as the Philippine Science High School system is for science and technology education, the Philippine High School for the Arts in Los Baños, Laguna for creative studies, as well as the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City for training military officers.
Aside from the main NAS campus in New Clark City, the National Academy of Sports Act calls for satellite campuses in each region of the Philippines, akin to the regional campuses of the Philippine Science High School system.
Cayetano also spoke about the “potential” for growth in sports tourism in the country if the government invests in nationwide sports infrastructure to aid in establishing a grassroots sports program.
“Many people don’t know that billions and billions of dollars po ang sports tourism – kasama na lahat po dito, hosting, training,” he said.
He explained that athletes in countries with harsh winter weather, such as Japan and Europe, could avail themselves of winter camps in sports facilities in the Philippines once these are built.
“Perfect po ang Clark and other parts of the country na kung saan pwede silang mag-summer camp o mag-winter camp,” he said.
“Binubulong ko lang siyempre sa mga taga-dito sa NAS na sana ma-maintain ng husto kasi iba talaga kapag world-class facilities, nakaka-inspire,” he added.
