House okays bill for training center

MANILA, Philippines - It took about six months for the House of Representatives to approve Bill No. 5615 establishing the National Sports Training Center and after smooth sailing on third reading, Committee on Youth and Sports Development chairman Rep. Conrado Estrella III (Abono partylist) said the other day the way is clear for the Senate to go through the process in finalizing the law.

“We did it,” said Estrella. “In the past two Congresses, there were attempts to push through with the bill but it never got done. This time, we put our heads together and made it happen on the floor. Now, the bill will be taken up by the Senate and it’s likely the final version will be what we passed in the House.”

Estrella cited Reps. Mark Sambar, Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, Marlyn Primicias-Agabas and Ruwel Gonzaga as his co-sponsors of the bill that consolidated four proposed acts of a similar nature as submitted to the Committees on Appropriations and on Youth and Sports Development. Rep. Karlo Nograles is chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

Estrella said the 100-hectare Clark Green City traversing Tarlac and Pampanga has been identified as a possible site for the Training Center. “The recommendation is to build a 40 to 50 hectare sports complex with the rest of the property set aside for future development,” he said. “But nothing is final at the moment. All we know is the training that is being done at Rizal Memorial and PhilSports will be moved to a more conducive location. We’re creating an ad-hoc Board of Trustees to determine the specific location of the Training Center, acquire the property, oversee the planning and development of the project and the design of the facilities, ensure safety and security standards, make sure the facilities and structures conform with the Building Code of the Philippines, guarantee compliance with proper public bidding processes under the Government Procurement Act and generate the funds to implement and complete the Training Center.”

Estrella estimated the cost of the project to be P3.5 to 4 Billion. He said the implementing agency will be the PSC. “The ownership of the Training Center is vested to the PSC,” he said. “The PSC is also vested with the authority to administer, manage and operate the Center including but not limited to the administration of incidental income, security of the complex and assignment of personnel to manage and operate the complex.”

Estrella said the PSC chairman will be the ad-hoc Board of Trustees chairman with the Department of Public Works and Highways secretary as vice chairman. Members of the Board will be the POC president, House Committee on Youth and Sports chairman, Senate Committee on Sports chairman, Department of Budget and Management secretary and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority or Clark Development Authority president. An executive director will be designated by the PSC chairman to direct and supervise the day-to-day operations of the Training Center. 

Estrella said he is setting a period of six months to plan and design the project after effectivity of the law then 18 months to finish the construction. The Training Center will be the official home of the national athletes of various sports for their psychological and physical preparations, the hub for sports science and research development, the venue for the training of coaches and referees and the site where the best training opportunities will be available through a comprehensive and scientific sports development program. 

The sports facilities and amenities in the Training Center will include provisions for 32 Olympic and other non-Olympic sports, an administration building dorms for athletes, coaches and referees, dining and recreation hall, conference rooms, worship and medication room, sports science building, sports library and medical and dental clinic.

The 37 sports that the Training Center will focus on are aquatics, archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball including 3x3, billiards and snooker, BMX and cycling, bowling, boxing, chess, dancesport, equestrian, fencing, football, futsal, handball, gymnastics, judo, karatedo, lawn tennis, muay thai, pencak silat, petanque, rugby, shooting, softball, soft tennis, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.