Academic

The new law creating the National Academy of Sports System offers, on full scholarship basis, a secondary education to children with considerable potential in sports. This encourages poor but athletic Filipinos to capitalize on sports to earn education, the quality of which is another issue altogether.

Initially, it focuses on individual sports in aquatics, athletics, badminton, gymnastics, table tennis, taekwondo, judo and weightlifting, all part of the Olympic calendar. Right on target, these are sports where height is not might. The strongest Filipina just lifted the country to its first gold.

It is devoted solely to natural-born Filipinos, as opposed to naturalized Filipinos found in the country’s premiere basketball league obsessed with height and size it imported half Filipinos who could not sing the national anthem. One of them could not even find any relatives in the country.

It promises to develop athletic skills and talents of students in world class sports facilities. It includes housing, dormitories and other amenities to shelter student athletes. The quality should be what the law envisions it to be. Permanently, including upgrade and maintenance, unlike before when flag bearers endured living quarters for the dead.

It is governed by a board of trustees chaired by the education secretary, vice chaired by the sports commission chair with these members – executive director of the sports academy, Olympic committee president, higher education chair and two representatives from the private sector of known expertise in the field of sports, education or both.

It appears the chair and vice chair and at least two members are appointed by direct provision of law. No appointing authority, whoever occupies such positions earns a board seat. But the trustees elect the sports academy director preferably with a master’s degree in sports education, sports science, education, management, and substantial experience in managing an educational institution. The board likewise elects two private sector representatives of known expertise in the field of sports, education or both.

It appears to preclude politicians, active or recycled, to be appointed to the highest policy making body of the sports academy. But it is not a guarantee. There is a loophole that affords the electing authority wide discretion to play around with the minimum qualifications. Preferably with a master’s degree means one without may still be considered. Of known expertise in the field of sports is subjective, could either be less known, well-known or even unknown.

Just like party-list nominees who are merely required to be a member of, and show track record of advocacy for the sector sought represented. So easy in a country where even employment and school records are faked clean and dainty. A less emphatic threshold makes the entire selection process vulnerable to influence and abuse. But of course there is no guarantee, there are politicians who genuinely work for the best interest of the athletes, just as there are sportsmen worse than politicians. Sports and politics just don’t mix. Integral in sports is integrity, in politics it disintegrates.

Cynicism aside, let’s give the law the chance it deserves. If enforced by the right occupants, the Philippine flag may be raised again to the highest pole. Otherwise, the sports academy will be mooted. And academic.