PSC chair Butch Ramirez and Hidilyn Diaz with participants of the Mindanao Children’s Games. PHOTO by JUNE NAVARRO
Delighted with its new-found cooperation with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Philippine Sports Commission will hold at least one Children’s Games in various parts of the country every week.
This after Unesco decided to form a breakthrough partnership with the Philippine Sports Institute and the government sports agency for the Games designed for kids 12 years old and below.
“I instructed the sports coordinators throughout the country to hold the Children’s Games in their respective cities or provinces,’’ said Ramirez after the two-day gathering of the 50 PSI coordinators throughout the country Thursday at Philsports in Pasig City.
The PSI, headed by national training director Marc Edward Velasco, has been tasked make sports available to all Filipinos as instructed by President Rodrigo Duterte. The operations of the PSI are being funded by the PSC.
“We’ve put up the Batang Pinoy Games and the Philippine National Games as part of the PSC’s grassroots program, but these events only happen once a year,’’ said Ramirez.
“If you want progress in what you’re trying to achieve, there should be consistency. That’s the reason why we’re going to hold the Children’s Games on a regular basis,’’ he added.
Representatives from Unesco visited the PSC and offered to align its projects for out-of-youth children with the national sports policies of the PSC.
Unesco consultant Caroline Baxter Tresise said the Philippines would become the template of how these programs should be done since it will be the first for the Southeast Asian region.
“We found out that the Children’s Games is the heart and soul of the grassroots program,’’ said Ramirez. “When these kids grow up and even if they don’t become outstanding athletes, they’ll learn a lot of values and become peacemakers in the process.’’
Children from Muslim and Christian communities played together with Lumad kids during the first Children’s Games in Davao City last May, ironically on the same day that the Marawi conflict erupted.
Ramirez has been invited to discuss the Children’s Games in the 6th International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials Responsible for Physical Education and Sport in Kazan, Russia next week.
The Kazan Action Plan of the Unesco, an international sports policy and framework for long-term cooperation among countries worldwide, is expected to be passed by sports ministers around the world during the conference.