If an e-sports school is attainable for our country—like what University of The Visayas New School in Mandaue City has adopted—then why not the Philippine government construct a legit academy dedicated solely for sports?
The demand for more athletes possessing the right stuff increases as international athletic events await our prides’ exhibition of skills and panache. Throughout the 18 years of Southeast Asian Games journey, a debacle of our performance has haunted our national team as they only hauled a total of 121 medals, seeing as the worst completion in SEA tourney. This can serve as a buzzer to initiate sports development.
Sure, prestige schools got our backs in cultivating young, adept athletes. They got the prime facilities—from basketball courts to football field for their students—but still considered inadequate. However, sports-inclined students from public schools only grin and bear from least influential faculties that should be driving them to aim for national and international competitions.
It was in 2013 when Senate Bill No. 2697: Philippine High School For Sports Act was filed being spearheaded by Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Former Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, and Sen. Pia Cayetano. It’s a specialized support system which would “produce not only athletes but also sports practitioners after the curriculum, faculty development, and standards.” In simple words, it’s just a secondary course—a system or a program that would only emphasize the development of athleticism, far from a dream of building a sports institution by the government.
Singapore, a Southeast Asian country like the Philippines, has Singapore Sports School; Malaysia has EPS Sports Academy; Thailand has Thanyapura Phuket Sports. The Philippines, unfortunately, is pretty silent over this matter, but not anymore, because someone from the private sector has made the first move.
The good news of April 2016 came from the Sy family’s SM Group who has already laid out its one-billion peso project to build the country’s first national sports school—the NU Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna. Training and team development are two things to watch out for the said academy. Its target operation is in June 2018 which will serve as a facility extension of National University—a member of University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The four-hectare project would accommodate sports facilities that are yet to disclose but anticipate sports such as basketball, volleyball, and tennis to be part of the groundbreaking development.
But it’s another option that is likely unattainable to be part of, considering the people from the grassroots. It’s a private institution, at the end of the day; unless scholarship is within the palms of the aspirants.
Talking about the sad reality for students who are putting up with their economic problems, it’s a dilemma between dreams over future. There are some who consider a field that is more plausible of giving them a better future in terms of financial stuff, and so they yield from their passion.
Imagine a synthetic football field, a swimming complex, a tennis training centre, a huge basketball court all in one academy. With high chances, it would produce competitive student athletes honed by a holistic system and impressive facilities, whether you came from a public school or not.
Philippines can take the big step and challenge itself to invest big sums of money for our next roster of world-class athletes through a sports school. Without the initiatives of the government, the worst finish we have from the SEA games might linger.
A sports school in the Philippines is possible. The next time we deploy our athletic army for international competitions, we would not only pick the best and elite performers who, if not educated from overseas, got the best sports training from the finest coaches. Because in the future, we would create them.
(Disclaimer: Photo courtesy of Joseph John J. Perez)
Comments