A school for athletes

MASTER BLASTER

Neil Bravo

Senator Pia Cayetano’s heart for athletes is throbbing again. Last Monday, she was at her element during interpellation before the Senate floor after Senator Migs Zubiri delivered a privilege speech entitled “The Azkals and the state of Philippine Sports: Has it gone to the dogs?”

For Pia, that was just another day in the office. I don’t know about the rest of the country’s upper chamber but everytime there is trouble brewing in sports, they come talking. After a while, it dies down with the whispers.

Senator Pia is not just talking trash and calling Senate probes. She does her talking with legislations. So before a Senate probe can be called on the Azkals and Philippine sports, she already has something on the table to make the so-called stray dogs of Philippine sports taken cared of like a lovable hound.

Senator Pia has the numbers. And it goes like this—2620.

If you ask me further, that’s the number of the Senate Bill she is pushing for the creation of the Philippine High School for Sports (PHSS). So how will SB 2620 be the loving arms for a deprived Azkal?

Think about this. What Manny Pacquiao lacked in his younger days is one thing common among many Filipino athletes—education.

This reality reflects a growing social concern that has become of late very disturbing and imminent. Not that we cringe everytime Manny speaks English before millions of live television audience or when he delivers a privilege speech in Congress. Not because we jawdrop listening to the elegant twang of Fil-foreign athletes like Nonito Donaire, Phil Younghusband, or Kelly Williams.

Think of the many names in Philippine sports and what have they become after their heydays without an education to lean on to.

A few days after Manny Pacquiao demolished Antonio Margarito, lawyer Carlos Isagani Zarate wrote about his kababayans from GenSan, the co-called Boys of Dadiangas who were not as lucky as Manny. How miserable life has become for the non-Pacquiaos of the past and present generations.

Sports is known as the great equalizer. For the poor boys and girls whose parents cannot afford to send them to school, they use their innate athletic skills honed through life’s tough battles in order to get a scholarship.

The chances of getting an athletic scholarship, however, is as tough as battling it out with the bullies of the barrio.

SB 2620, Senator Pia hopes, will be the answer.

Senator Pia’s office emailed me on Tuesday the full text of the bill along with the excerpts of the Senate Journal of the December 13 session.

Among the salient points of SB 2620 is that it is envisioned to create a school for developmental and national athletes who will be given scholarships either full or partial after a screening based on institutional standards. Non-national athletes may also enrol as paying students. The PHHS curriculum will be tailored-fit to prepare national athletes for a productive life after their careers.

SB 2620 states “it is therefore declared the policy of the State to maximize the athletic abilities of students with the end in view of producing world-class athletes with solid academic background. In line with this, an educational system to foster the total development of the youth, with special emphasis on the enhancement and development of their skills in sports is hereby established.”

In relation to the PHHS, there is another bill pending in the Senate filed by Senator Edgardo Angara and this is Senate Bill 3481 which also seeks to establish the Philippine Sports University. Angara’s version is for the creation of a collegiate institution for athletes.

Recently, the Senate approved the naturalization of Smart Gilas American recruit Marcus Douthit making him eligible to play for the national basketball team. I believe that if the Senate can pass such a legislation speedily, it can also prioritize SB 2620 and SB 3481.

The point here is, the Senate can do sports a lot of loving than just calling for probes that will end up netting nothing. Instead, the Senate can focus on the two bills which I believe may be consolidated as one bill to establish a secondary and collegiate institution for sports. I don’t know what happened to the National Institute of Sports which the PSC inaugurated a few years back but the same can also be incorporated in this legislation which will add masteral and doctorate programs related to sports administration.

The story of the Azkals of football is not an isolated case. It happens to just about every sports association. There are many azkals in Philippine sports lapping its way for attention. Perhaps, the least loved of them all just happened to be the spark we all needed to start the fire of sports revolution.

At least, these Azkals speak with a British accent.

But for the rest of our sports heroes--present and future—hope means holding on to an education.