Creation of school for sports pushed in Congress

MANILA, Philippines - Actress-lawmaker Lani Mercado-Revilla is pushing for the creation of a school for sports in the Philippines.

Revilla has filed House Bill 2302, which proposes the creation of the Philippine High School for Sports with the main goal of breeding world-class Filipino athletes.

"It will be founded on the basic philosophy of education, that sports and physical development are basic elements in the education and formation of the youth, especially on the level or stage of basic education," Revilla said.

She said the basic strategy for sports development to enable the country to become competitive in international competitions is to have a two-pronged approach to talent and player development.

"This approach looks at grassroots development on the one hand and elite training on the other," Revilla said.

"It will also allow the general development of the sport in terms of becoming more popular and widely played and followed," she added.

Under the bill, the school shall offer, on a free scholarship basis, a secondary course with special emphasis on developing the athletic skills of the students, with the end in view of training young Filipinos for international sports competitions.

The school will be headed by a director to be appointed by the President with a fixed term of eight years.

The bill will also create a Board of Trustees to be composed of the Secretary of Education, the Director of the Philippine High School for Sports and three representatives from accredited sports associations.