Senator Gatchalian Files Bill to Establish Philippine High School for Sports

Senator Win Gatchalian has filed Senate Bill No. 1181, the "Philippine High School for Sports Act", in order to provide talented but underprivileged young athletes the chance to make their sport dreams come true.

"The Philippines has a pool of talented youth who have great potential in the field of sports. However, due to financial constraints, these talented youth are unable to fulfill their dreams of bringing home the gold for our country," said Gatchalian, the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts, and Culture.

To address this problem, Senate Bill No. 1181 would appropriate P50 million for the initial capital required to establish the school, with an additional P5 million allocated to the school annually for the next 10 years.

Gatchalian expressed optimism that his proposal would help improve the performance of Philippine athletes in regional and international competitions, citing the country's lackluster 6th place overall finish at the most recent Southeast Asian Games held in Singapore.

"Our country is home to world champions in boxing, bowling, and swimming, among others. Despite limited resources made available to them, we have seen our athletes pave their own roads to victory. Now, it is time for us to help pave their way to gold by build a strong educational infrastructure to train and develop our country's aspiring champions," said Gatchalian.