There is strong support for the establishment of a National Academy of Sports.
Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez said this after the Senate ratified on Monday the bicameral conference committee report on the National Academy of Sports (NAS) Bill.
The decision made by the Senate put the initiative a step closer to becoming a law.
“The (PSC) Board is unanimous in saying that this is a welcome development. Anything that supports the development of sports in the country is a great boost to the country's efforts to build a deeper grassroots sports program which feed our elite sports programs,” said Ramirez.
The Senate approved the consolidated version of Senate Bill No. 1086 and House Bill No. 6312, which seeks to establish the country’s first NAS at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac.
The academy is seen as a move to institutionalize a specialized educational framework for secondary level students, who have demonstrated a potential to excel in sports.
This is by providing world-class sports facilities for training while continuing their high school education.
The NAS will be placed the Department of Education and its activities will be held in close coordination with the PSC
The program is also mandated to establish regional high schools for sports that are funded by the national government.
Senator Bong Go is one of the bill’s principal authors in the Senate.
He believes that setting up the academy is important in developing the country’s national sports sector.