Philippine Sports News and Updates

The Philippine Sports Commission will sit down with various sectors to draw up the foundation of a sports program aimed at strengthening the   country's grassroots development plan in pursuant to President Arroyo's Executive Order 651.

PSC chair Butch Ramirez said they will coordinate with the Philippine Olympic Committee, the various schools in the country, the private sector and government agencies and bureaus like the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Department of Interior and Local Government to discuss the project.

We're in fact forming a task force that would lay down the ground works of EO 651 in the next few months,” said Ramirez, in yesterday's press briefing attended by commissioners Leon Montemayor and Joey Mundo, Sports Institute head Malou Cantancio and athletes priest Fr. Vic Uy. We hope to start implementing this program maybe prior to 2008 or just before the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

President Arroyo has already allotted P100 million half coming from the General Appropriations and the rest from the Philippine Gaming Corp. for the project.

Ramirez explained EO 651 will concentrate on five sports chess, boxing, taekwondo, billiards and wushu  where the Filipinos are tipped to excel in international tournaments.

Ramirez said the move was in compliance with EO 651 signed by President Arroyo early last month and geared at developing a limited number of sports, including boxing and taekwondo, the best gold medal prospects in the Olympics.

EO 651 was instituted in line with Republic Act 6847, enacted to provide leadership and formulate policies in giving emphasis on grassroots, and EO 64, aimed at adopting a sports that would nurture healthy, disciplined and peaceful citizenry.

But Ramirez stressed that they would put emphasis on not just holding regional and national meets but also on massive education training, a scientific talent identification program and coaches education and training, among others.

SourceL ABS-CBN News