The Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Party-list expressed its gratitude for being given a new mandate to serve the people and vowed to continue pushing for more meaningful legislation in the 19th Congress.
“Maraming salamat sa sambayanang Pilipino sa panibagong mandato na maglingkod. Asahan po ninyong gaya ng dati ay hindi namin sasayangin ang inyong tiwala,” PBA Party-list Rep. Migs Nograles said.
The Davaoeña lawyer said that foremost on the agenda of the party-list is the creation of a Sports Development Council (SDC) at the national and local levels in the next administration to promote and develop grassroots and developmental sports in the local government units.
“To date, the only truly developed grassroots program in the Philippines is basketball. And now given our impressive performance at the last Olympics and Southeast Asian Games, we want to sustain this momentum and develop our talents in other sports.”
“What we want to have is a truly inclusive sports development program, which means we must go to the grassroots level to cultivate this. Gusto natin bigyan lahat ng kabataan na may kakayahan at may talento ng pagkakataon na maging world-class athlete,” Nograles said.
The neophyte lawmaker pointed out that developing athletes in any sport entails years of training and exposure to competitions, which often begin at the grassroots level.
“To date, the only truly developed grassroots program in the Philippines is basketball. And now given our impressive performance at the last Olympics and Southeast Asian Games, we want to sustain this momentum and develop our talents in other sports,” she said.
“We want to discover and hone the talents of more athletes like Hidilyn Diaz, Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Margielyn Didal. If we develop more athletes at an early age, then more Filipinos will have the chance to become Olympic champions in the future,” she added.
Nograles said their proposed SDC would be an attached agency of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). The SDC would ensure the alignment of the sports calendar across all levels and ensure the promotion, implementation, and monitoring of a Grassroots Sports Plan (GSP) across all levels of the Council.
The Davaoeña lawyer said that foremost in the party-list’s agenda is the creation of a Sports Development Council (SDC) in the national and local levels in the next administration to promote and develop grassroots and developmental sports in the local government units.
“This is in line with Section 7(m) of The Philippine Sports Commission Act, which provides that the PSC shall encourage, promote, and sustain the creation and establishment of regional, provincial, city, municipal, and barangay sports promotion and development councils,” she said.
“As an attached agency of the PSC, there is an assurance that the SDC shall serve as the nationwide organizational network to assist the PSC in the information dissemination, implementation, and monitoring of the GSP,” Nograles added.