Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco has urged his colleagues
to approve a bill that would establish a high school that would specifically
cater to sports.
Velasco has filed House Bill No. 4492 or “The Philippine High School for Sports (PHSS)
System Act of 2019.” It seeks to develop sports in
the country starting at the high school level as grassroots development of sports in the country
is woefully lacking, he said. “The country, time and again, erupts in unison to celebrate
the sports achievements of our homegrown athletes who brought home laurels for
the Philippines despite the lack of a sustained sports development program,”
Velasco said.
The present public and private
school educational system provide inadequate support to the gifted
student-athlete and that public school student athletes may pursue their
passion only through the Palarong Pambansa or the Philippine National Games
that is, if they are talented enough to be recruited.
In terms of curriculum, physical education (PE) is
consolidated with music, arts, and health in just one academic subject that
translates to less time and focus devoted to sports.
The Marinduque solon maintained that while the Department of
Education has identified one high school in each region as schools with a
Special Program in Sports (SPS), there is no clear training program and
selection criteria in place in public schools.
He said that the private school system provides more
opportunities for exposure in sporting activities not only because PE is
treated as a separate academic subject, but also because of the active
development of varsity teams that participate in inter-school leagues across
the country. But even student-athletes in private schools to experience
academic difficulties due to the lack of time to study and complete projects.
“The time is ripe to discover and nurture these athletes and
other potentially gifted athletes and provide adequate support for them by
endowing them with sustained training and support starting at the high school
level,” the lawmaker said.
“In order to be able to compete internationally on a
sustained level in different sports, a basic education program is needed that
is focused and specialized for the youth who have the gifts and potential,” he
said.
Velasco explained that his bill aims to establish and
maintain a high school for student-athletes. He said the Philippine High School
for Sports (PHSS) will offer, on a scholarship basis, a secondary course with
special emphasis on developing the athletic skills of the students through
subjects pertaining to physical education and sports development.
The school will enable student-athletes to gain quality
secondary education while ensuring opportunities for their continued training,
exposure, and participation in relevant sports competitions.
At the same time, the school will help the Philippine Sports
Commission (PSC) in training and developing future world-class national
athletes, who will have improved training, better equipment, and adequate support
because of their holistic development within PHSS.
The PHSS system also aims to provide the student-athletes
with skills, which will make them employable immediately after high school.
Velasco noted that the State recognizes the role of the youth
in nation-building, and also the importance of sports in the betterment of
lives of Filipinos, as enshrined in Sections 13 and 17 of Article II of the
1987 Constitution of the Philippines.
