(Eagle News) — The Senate on Monday, May 11, ratified the bicameral committee report creating the National Academy of Sports in the Philippines.
A press release from the office of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said if signed into law, the NAS will implement “a quality and enhanced secondary education program, with a special curriculum on sports.”
The release said the academy’s main campus shall be built at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac, with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority in charge of its construction.
The NAS shall be attached to the Department of Education, which shall work in close coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission.
An executive director, as appointed by the DepEd Secretary, will head the NAS.
“Through the National Academy of Sports, we are institutionalizing mechanisms, fundamentals, and government support to instill excellence among our athletes, who are a source of both national pride and unity for our country. We want to support aspiring athletes at the earliest possible opportunities so we would look for those who have the potential and train them in world-class facilities,” Gatchalian said.
In the Senate, co-authors and co-sponsors of the bill were Senators Sonny Angara, Bong Go, and Pia Cayetano.
