THE House measure establishing the proposed biennial Philippine National Games (PNG) was overwhelmingly approved on third and final reading during Wednesday’s plenary session.

Nominal voting results showed that House Bill (HB) No. 8468 or the proposed “Philippine National Games Act” gained 275 affirmative votes.

“Filipinos have an innate love for sports and friendly competition.

This urge to compete has brought a lot of honors to the country in the international arena, but it all starts at home. Through these Philippine National Games, we aim to nurture and develop this aptitude for athletics,” Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, leader of the 312-strong House of Representatives, said.

Some of the principal authors are Reps. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Jude Acidre, Richard Gomez, Anthony Rolando Golez Jr., Gus Tambunting, Lord Allan Velasco, Fauastino Michael Carlos Dy III, Margarita “Migs” Nograles, Charisse Anne Hernandez, Eric Buhain, Jeyzel Victoria Yu, Francisco Paolo Ortega V, Mikee Romero, and Manuel Jose Dalipe.

The PNG is envisioned as the national grassroots sports program and platform for the nationwide talent search in identifying and developing outstanding athletes who have the potential to excel in various sports, and place the country at the forefront of international sports competitions.

It shall serve as the country’s premier national sports competition, which would be held every two years.

The official sports in the PNG shall include the following: aquatics, archer, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, billiard and snookers, bowling, boxing, canoe-kayak, chess, cycling, dancesport, e-sports, fencing, floorball, football, futsal, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, lawn tennis, modern pentathlon, muay thai, pencak silat, petanque, rowing, and rugby.

Also included are sailing, sambo, sepak takraw, shooting, skateboarding, softball, soft tennis, squash, surfing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and wushu.

The PNG will become a venue for the National Sports Associations (NSAs) in promoting their respective sports programs at the grassroots level, providing the necessary linkages with local government unit (LGUs).

Moreover, it will serve as a feeder program for the pool of student-athletes who shall be given priority in the grant of full scholarship on secondary education program at the National Academy of Sports.

“This will also encourage all local government units to promote the development of sports in the countryside covering all provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays,” Romualdez said, alluding to the grassroots nature of the PNG.

Under HB No.8468, the PNG Board is created as the lead policy-making and coordinating body for the preparation of the PNG.

The members of the Board shall be entitled to reimbursement of actual traveling and other expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties as members thereof, subject to pertinent laws, rules, and regulations.

The Board shall have seven members composed of the following: (a) Executive Secretary, Chairperson; (b) Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Vice Chairperson; (c) Chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Secretary General; (d) Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), Member; (e) Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Member; (f) Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND), Member; and (g) President of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Member.