An offer of renewed hope

Sports development guru Dr. Aparicio Mequi says we must ease the minds of our countrymen from the loss of Manny Pacquiao and offer renewed hope.

This reformation can come in the form of long-term investment in Physical Education and school sports.

He says we must start now to create a bigger base from which our athletes will be drawn from.

Dr. Mequi says there’s an urgent need to amend the Palarong Pambansa Law.

Here’s his advice:

Republic Act 10588, otherwise known as the Palarong Pambansa law, is unconstitutional and unimplementable because of the following reasons:

1. The Philippines is a signatory to the UN International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, enacted in Paris, France on Nov. 21, 1978. Article 1 of this Charter declares that “physical education is a fundamental right for all and forms an essential element of the education system.”

2. The Philippine Constitution prescribes under Article XIV, Section 19 that: “The State shall promote physical education and encourage sports programs, league competitions, and amateur sports, including training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, team work and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.”

These twin prescriptions clearly emphasize the importance of physical education as the base of a national sports development program. The implication is clear that sports events in the Palaro Pambansa must be offshoot of the schools’ PE program.

However, the PE and sports programs are the most neglected components of the school curriculum with so little time allotted to their practice. Likewise, the teacher training for PE and sports professionals is a combination of the subjects of PE, health and music which limit the acquisition of the fundamental skills and knowledge that PE teachers should possess.

There’s an urgent need to amend the Palarong Pambansa law with provisions to recognize the importance of physical education. Such a change could finally provide the base from where Filipino athletes will be drawn who will become competitive and achieve the obsession of winning the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal.

There’s a Russian dictum on sports development that supports this recommendation: “It’s easier to select athletes from among millions then from among thousands; from among thousands than from among hundreds; from among hundreds than among dozens.”

Aparicio H. Mequi, PhD.

Director

Institute of Youth Sports for Peace (IYSPeace)

Foundation University

Dumaguete City.