SOMETIME in December of 2018, the House of Representatives and Senate jointly passed a law that would benefit national athletes and those in the national training pool. Simply known as Republic Act 11214 or the Philippine Sports Training Center Act, it was approved and signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte last Feb. 14, 2019.
The law requires the establishment of a state-of-the-art and highly scientific sports complex that will serve as the center for development and training of our national athletes and those included on the national training pool. It will likewise serve as a training venue for coaches and referees.
The complex, if it hopefully sees daylight, will complement the existing modern sports complex at the New Clark City where the 30th SEA Games were recently held. It can also host local and international sporting competitions.
The PSTC complex, if plans are to be followed accordingly, will have facilities for Olympic and non-Olympic sports. It will also include dormitories for coaches and athletes, accommodation for guests, an administration building, conference hall, a cafeteria, library, a medical center, lecture rooms, a worship room among others.
Administration, management, operation and maintenance will be given to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
In other words, everything and anything within the complex will be owned and operated by the PSC. An Executive Director will be appointed by the PSC Chairman to handle the daily operations of the PSTC.
A total of P3.5 billion (ehem, good luck with this) was appropriated for the establishment and construction of the PSTC main complex somewhere in Pangasinan with some of the facilities to be built in neighboring Tarlac. This is supposedly scheduled to break ground this year and to be completed in two years. Well and good, and as I said earlier, would hopefully be realized.
I wish that the PSC will also identify regions where a particular sport is popular. For example, Western Visayas had produced several football players who had excelled and represented the country in international competitions. A high-tech football training center would serve the region well and will benefit aspiring footballers in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
I also wish, and hope against hope, that internal squabbling among the heads of NSAs will finally be put to an end and hatchets buried, not on each other’s backs but somewhere never to be found. However, considering the highly politicized structure of our sporting agencies, it’s just wishful thinking. Yup, and most likely, people will be jostling and shoving for the position of the PSTC Executive Director.
As they say, hope springs eternal. Let’s just wish that our success in the recent SEAG will inspire our sporting leaders to uplift the well-being and standards of our athletes and give them the resources to be competitive with the rest of the world./PN
