Get into sports, stay away from drugs to keep us healthy and fit! This is always my message to emphasize how much sports can impact the future of our youth and contribute to nation-building. With this advocacy, your Senator Kuya Bong Go is truly honored to be elected again as Chairman of the Senate Committees on Sports and on Youth. We buckled down to work as we held the first sports committee public hearing in the 20th Congress on 15 September.

During the hearing, I appealed for unity and close teamwork among all the stakeholders to accelerate the country’s sports development and safeguard the welfare of Filipino athletes. As a senator, my responsibility goes beyond crafting laws for our kababayans. It also includes cooperation with stakeholders to bridge gaps and strengthen programs to ensure that our athletes, especially those at the grassroots level, receive the support they need to succeed.

Our discussion during the committee hearing focused on strengthening the Philippine Sports Commission. We recognize the need to regionalize the PSC for the benefit of our athletes at the grassroots level. Sports tourism was also highlighted in the discussions, as it is believed to be a very effective means to reel in tourists into our country.

We also discussed the importance of fighting for more funding for our athletes. Since we assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Sports Committee in 2019, our country has clinched its first-ever gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and followed it up with a groundbreaking twin gold victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Just imagine what our national athletes can achieve with more support from the government and the private sector! Perhaps someday the government can also establish a department of sports. I urge the national government to prioritize funding our athletic programs instead of wasting public funds on ghost projects and flood control infrastructure that do not benefit Filipinos.

As an athlete and sports enthusiast myself, the establishment of the National Academy of Sports (NAS), under Republic Act 11470, which I authored and co-sponsored, was a dream come true. This is located in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac, and it offers a unique dual-track system that combines quality secondary education with a specialized sports curriculum.

Seeking to expand access to this model, we also filed Senate Bill No. 171, which aims to regionalize the NAS, with particular focus on the Visayas and Mindanao.

We also filed SBN 413, or the Philippine National Games bill, which, if enacted, will institutionalize a nationwide grassroots sports competition that serves as a recruitment platform for National Sports Associations.

Meanwhile, SBN 678, or the proposed National Tertiary Games Act, if passed, seeks to formalize a national collegiate multi-sport tournament to nurture and showcase athletic talent at the tertiary level.

As a way to incentivize our para-athletes, I also filed a bill to upgrade their incentives to be comparable to the incentives being received by other athletes competing in the same sporting event. The bill also seeks to provide tax exemption to the incentives received by winning athletes in major international competitions.

With the help of my fellow lawmakers, I will push for laws that will build a stronger, more sustainable sports development program for our athletes and our country.

Meanwhile, on September 16, we were invited as a guest of honor and speaker at the Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines Assembly and Election of Officers MIMAROPA Chapter with our friend and ally, Vice Mayor Apple Fondevilla.

After which, we also attended the same event for the CALABARZON Chapter with Vice Mayor Laarni Malibiran of Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Meanwhile, the previous week, our Malasakit Team reached out to the grassroots communities to continuously provide necessary assistance. Last week, we immediately aided seven fire victims in Malitbog, Southern Leyte; 50 in Caloocan City; and 309 in Bacolod City.

We then provided additional assistance to victims of different types of calamities, such as typhoons and flash floods. We aided 168 victims in Tarragona and 41 in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental; 109 in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental; and 19 in New Corella, Davao del Norte.

We also provided additional aid to 72 fire victims in Cagayan de Oro City and 14 in Davao City. These beneficiaries also received financial assistance from the national government to rebuild their homes.

The previous week, the Malasakit Team also attended the 25th Cityhood Anniversary and Talakudong Festival in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat, and the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. (IIEE) 50th Anniversary with National President Alberto Herrera in Quezon City.

As your Mr. Malasakit, rest assured that I will do my best to promote and improve the sports development in our country dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos.