AS THE 2018 Palarong Pambansa came to a close, Senator Sonny Angara pushed for the creation of a Philippine High School for Sports that will serve as a breeding ground of future world-class Filipino athletes and sports heroes.
He said the PHSS will offer a secondary course with special emphasis on subjects pertaining to physical education and sports development in order to prepare its students for a sports-related career.
It will also provide a training program making the athletes more competitive in the national, South East Asian, Asian and Olympic levels.
“We should maximize the athletic abilities of our students who have the potential to excel in sports while maintaining their strong academic base,” said Angara, Vice Chairman of the Sports and Education committees.
“The Palarong Pambansa is the biggest venue for our young athletes, especially from the provinces, to showcase their skills in the hopes of getting recruited by national sports associations and top universities and colleges. We should widen this opportunity by creating the Philippine High School for Sports,” said Angara of his
Senate Bill 1332 that seeks to establish the PHSS that will have a quality academic curriculum and at the same time, provide the needed focus and support for developing the athletic skills of the students.
The senator said that while the Department of Education has identified one high school in each region with a special program in sports, there is still no clear training program and selection criteria in place.
Under the proposed measure, there will be a criteria for the selection and admission of students including national competitive trials and examinations.
Angara is also the principal author of the bill authorizing the construction of the state-of-the-art Philippine Amateur Sports Training Center.
He likewise sponsored laws establishing sports academies and training centers in Talisay, Cebu; Alfonso, Cavite; Dapa, Surigao del Norte; Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental; and, Tagum, Davao del Norte to hone the skills and raw talent of young athletes from the provinces and jumpstart grassroots sports development.