Five ranking members of the House of Representatives have openly called for reforms to boost the country’s sports sector in the wake of the four-medal Olympic harvest and new national records set by Filipino Olympians in Paris.
BHW Party-list Representative Angelica Natasha Co, vice chair of the House appropriations committee, and Senior Citizens Party-list Representative Rodolfo Ordanes, member of the House committee on higher and technical education, both want the economic agencies to put sports economy policies in place to attract massive investments.
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Representative Bernadette Herrera, House deputy minority leader, has prodded the Philippine Sports Commission to ask Congress to increase national athletes’ allowances and hike to P2 billion its 2025 budget for amateur sports development.
Last July, Probinsyano Party-list Representative Alfred Delos Santos and Manila Representative Joel Chua called for the approval and implementation of sports economy policies.
Chua, in particular, asked the National Economic Development Authority, Board of Investments, and Department of Finance for specific policies on sports investments.
“It is the grassroots sports version of anti-poverty cash subsidies–straight to the athletes in need.”
More recently, Delos Santos expressed his hope that Yulo’s triumph in Paris “will also move our grassroots sports bill, which the House sent to the Senate months ago. HB 8495, or the Local Sports Program bill, will give targeted funding to grassroots athletes and their communities nationwide. It is the grassroots sports version of anti-poverty cash subsidies–straight to the athletes in need.”
Co, who also chairs the House committee on the welfare of children, joined her House colleagues in seeking “sports economy policies that will nurture and empower our athletes and produce professionals who work to make our athletes fulfill their Olympic dreams.”
“The Filipino youth need laws, policies, programs, and projects that bring out their talents and aspirations, no matter whatever background and status they come from. Sports can be the way to success and happiness for many children and teenagers,” the BHW Party-list lady solon said.
“Filipino children and teenagers need flesh and blood heroes like Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena, and every Filipino Olympian, world champion, and national athlete.”
“Filipino children and teenagers need flesh and blood heroes like Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena, and every Filipino Olympian, world champion, and national athlete. Filipino children and teenagers need exemplary individuals to idolize and gain inspiration from,” she added.
For his part, Ordanes said: “More schools should be part of our country’s Olympic quest. The state universities and colleges plus the maritime have the able-bodied and sports-minded people our country needs to win those competition medals.”
“Non-fiscal incentives, budget subsidies, and support from the Higher Education Development Fund can bring some of these schools into the sports fold or improve their existing athletics programs. Congress just needs to see the projects that can be made eligible for investments through sports economy policies. We also want to see the NEDA and BOI administratively institutionalize soon the sports economy policies needed to bring in those investments,” he concluded.
