To boost grassroots sports dev’t in PH

SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, a staunch advocate of sports development in the grassroots, once again underscored that sports is a great tool for nation-building and promoting the welfare of the Filipino people.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, Go continues to champion various sports programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging more Filipinos, especially the youth, to participate in sports.

For this reason, he introduced Senate Bill No. 423 or the proposed Philippine National Games (PNG) Act of 2022, which seeks to ensure a more inclusive system of promoting promising Filipino athletes who possess potential in various fields of sports to be given an equal opportunity of becoming future contenders in international sporting competitions and cement the country’s status as a “Sports Powerhouse in Asia”.

“Ito pong SBN 423, iniengganyo ko po ang mga kabataan natin to get into sports, stay away from illegal drugs. Parang local Olympics po itong Philippine National Games, i-institutionalize po siya kung maisabatas,” Go explained.

“Alam naman natin na salot talaga ang iligal na droga sa lipunan kaya naman sports ang nakikita kong isa sa mga mainam na paraan para ma-engganyo natin ang mga kabataan natin to get into sports and stay away from illegal drugs,” he continued.

The senator added that sports could help build character, promote discipline, and instill important values such as teamwork and perseverance.

The proposed bill shall support other Olympic and Asian Games sports, which have proven to give the country more medals in international competitions, but are not regularly included in Palarong Pambansa or any other sports programs in the country.

Furthermore, Go’s measure aims 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 competition, thus giving the country pride and international goodwill and addressing the long-standing problems of Philippine sports in general.”

The Philippine National Games shall also serve as the government’s premier national sports competition to be held once every two years. As the bill states, it shall encourage all local government officials to promote the development of sports in the countryside; serve as a venue for the National Sports Associations in promoting their respective sports at the grassroots level; and widen the base for talent identification, selection, and recruitment of athletes that shall constitute the national pool to be trained for international sports competitions.

As the country prepares for this year’s Southeast Asian Games to be held in Cambodia next month, Go is hopeful that competing athletes will excel in their respective events and bring home glory to the Philippines.

Through measures promoting grassroots sports development, he is also optimistic that more promising athletes will be able to compete in the international stage and also provide their families a better future.

Meanwhile, Go congratulated Marlon Tapales for becoming the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight champion after winning against Murodjon Akhmadaliev on Sunday, April 9, at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas.

Go highlighted that the victory of Filipino athletes in international sports competitions is one of the reasons why he is determined to continue pushing to provide them more support, especially as they uplift the Filipino people, promote positive values, and help build a stronger, more resilient nation.

“Congratulations po sa ating champion na si Marlon Tapales. Your hard work, discipline, and dedication have paid off, and you have made our country proud. Ipagpatuloy mo lang na maging inspirasyon sa ating mga aspiring atheletes,” remarked Go.

“As an advocate for sports development, I am committed to supporting more athletes like you dahil naniniwala ako sa magandang naidudulot ng sports sa buhay ng isang tao. Kaya congratulations ulit sa iyong pagkapanalo and may you continue to shine in your future endeavors,” he continued.

For his part, Go has earlier successfully authored and co-sponsored a bill in the Senate which became Republic Act No. 11470 in 2020. The Act mandated the establishment of the National Academy of Sports System and Main Campus in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.

Go highlighted that the said law is part of his vision to create a dedicated learning facility where promising young athletes can further hone their talents while getting quality education.

The NAS offers a secondary education program with an integrated special curriculum on sports, which was developed in close coordination with the Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng maayos na mga programa sa ating mga kabataan upang sila ay makapag-aral ng mabuti at magabayan sa kanilang mga talento sa sports, mas mabibigyan natin sila ng oportunidad na magtagumpay sa buhay,” Go previously said.

“Layunin ko na magkaroon ang ating mga kabataan ng marangal at maayos na pamumuhay ‘di lang ngayon, kundi pati sa kanilang pagtanda,” he explained.