Once amateur sports gets back on its feet, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will immediately invigorate the country’s program for young athletes to discover a new generation of talents.
And PSC chair William Ramirez hopes to achieve that vision by solidifying the agency’s relationship with the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units (LGUs) throughout the nation.
“Strengthening our grassroots program creates a solid foundation for our elite athletes,’’ said Ramirez. “This can be made possible with a strong partnership with the DepEd and the LGUs as well as the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee) and the NSAs (national sports associations).’’The DepEd is the chief organizer of the annual Palarong Pambansa, a sports fest featuring the best student-athletes throughout the country from the elementary and high school levels.The LGUs, meanwhile, possess the ability to provide the perfect environment for young athletes to flourish in sports and can partner with the PSC by hosting the Batang Pinoy Games and the Philippine National Games.
“We have to strengthen the Batang Pinoy, Palarong Pambansa and the PNG because they are designed to become a steady source of talents,’’ said Ramirez.
The Batang Pinoy, a multisport tournament for athletes 15 years old and younger, has been shelved this year due to the coronavirus health crisis together with the Palarong Pambansa and the PNG where the finest and up-and-coming athletes can pit their skills against each other.
Ramirez said these tournaments would supply the talents needed for the National Academy of Sports, an educational institution for secondary student-athletes to be operated by the DepEd and the PSC.
The students of the NAS will be molded into elite athletes in sports where they have the potential to excel. INQ