Establishment if Philippine Olympian Memorial urged
A HOUSE leader has filed a bill memorializing the heroism of Filipino Olympians by establishing an Olympian Museum and other modes of commemoration.
In his House Bill 10096, also known as the “Philippine Olympian Memorial Act”, Deputy Speaker and Valenzuela City 2nd District Rep. Eric M. Martinez emphasized the need to “recognize the honor, pride, and glory brought about by our Olympians success and heroism amidst the seemingly insurmountable challenges in the Olympics, and should forever be etched in our national consciousness.”
In light of the country’s recent achievements in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, that included our first gold medal win, Martinez said, “it is therefore timely and fitting that we establish a Philippine
Olympian Memorial that will provide a permanent and fitting commemoration for the blood, sweat, and tears, our national athletes have shed to represent the Philippines in the Olympics.”
“The bill proposes to establish an Olympian Museum that shall be stationed at New Clark City Sports Complex, in Capas, Tarlac, where every Filipino would have the chance to visit, to know, and draw inspiration from our Olympians,” Martinez, the former chairman of the House committee on youth and sports development, added.
Likewise, Martinez noted that the Olympian Museum shall be the official repository of all Olympian records and other memorabilias.
Martinez is also pushing for the renaming of several public infrastructures and facitlities in honor of our Olympians that includes changing the New Clark City Aquatics Center into “Teofilo E.
Yldefonso Aquatics Center” in honor of Teofilo E. Yldefonso, who won two Olympic bronze medals in 1928 and 1932.
Included in the short list of public infrastructres to be renamed are the New Clark City Athletics Stadium and the Philippine Institute of Sports Football and Athletics Stadium (formerly known as ULTRA Stadium) located at PhilSports Complex in Pasig, City.
According to Martinez, he wanted two other infrastructures to name as “Simeon G. Toribio Athletics Stadium”, after Simeon G. Toribio who won a bronze in 1932 and “Miguel S. White Athletics Stadium”, after Miguel White, who won the same medal in 1936, respectively.
For a lasting impact with the younger generations, the bill also mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate with the basic education curriculum, the core values, principles, individual heroism, and sacrifices many of our national athletes have contributed.
Martinez said that our national athletes, historically, have been given a lackluster amount of recognition, material and moral support they rightfully deserve in contrast to what our foreign counterparts provide for their national athletes.
“It is, therefore, through this memorialization of our athletes’ successes that the country can reciprocate for the sacrifices they have given and from which today’s and the future generation could draw inspiration from,” Martinez stressed.
