ANGARA: GOV'T MUST SUPPORT FILIPINO ATHLETES

During his sponsorship speech for the Philippine High School for Sports (PHSS) Act, Senator Edgardo J. Angara yesterday praised the achievements of Filipino athletes despite the challenges they face including lack of training facilities and other resources

"While the Philippine athletic system still needs a lot of work in terms of national sports infrastructure and policies, we should be immensely proud of our athletes for these hard-fought victories, for triumphing in spite of these shortcomings," he said.

We have a lot of pride in our athletes, especially those who have made a mark in the international sporting competitions. However, the raw, innate talents of our athletes can only take them so far--they need continuous training and support for their welfare.

According to Angara, this is the government's chance to maximize the athletic abilities of students with the end in view of producing world-class sportsmen with solid academic backgrounds.

"Having internationally victorious athletes does not have to be a rare occurrence in the Philippines. Let us build a sports culture befitting our passion by providing our athletes with sufficient infrastructure, funding and training support," he urged.

The PHSS

Senate Bill No. 2620, known as "An act creating and establishing the philippine high school for sports" was filed in October last year by Senator Pia Cayetano.

"It will be our premier laboratory school for the holistic training of future world-class Filipino athletes, instilling the values of excellence and sportsmanship among our youth," he explained.

The curriculum of the proposed PHSS will have two primary components: First is academics, which would emphasize multiple intelligence development while the second is sports. The latter would focus on six disciplines, namely athletics, basketball, boxing, football, taekwondo and tennis.

This institute shall be attached to both the Department of Education, which will be in charge of academics, and the Philippine Sports Commission for athletic-related concerns.

Meanwhile, Angara authored a similar bill early in the 15th Congress called the Philippine Sports University Act of 2010. This bill, filed as S.B. No. 48, seeks to establish a higher learning institute dedicated to athletic research as well as training our future sportsmen and coaches.

"We are a proud nation of sports fans," he said. "But with the right policies and proper implementation of this proposed institution, we can also be a proud nation of sports champions," he asserted.