Congress gives priority to athletes

MANILA, Philippines — A House panel yesterday approved a measure that would include national athletes bound for the Tokyo Olympics in the priority list for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The committee on sports and youth development has adopted House Resolution 1507 filed by Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, which seeks to place national athletes preparing for the Tokyo Olympics in July and the Hanoi SEA Games in November in the level of health workers, senior citizens, the police and military, who will be prioritized for the vaccination program.

The measure will now be submitted to the House plenary for approval and adoption.

Once adopted by the plenary, the House would officially urge the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Diseases to prioritize the national athletes in the vaccination program.

“I thank our esteemed colleagues in the committee on sports and youth development for sharing my vision and supporting my goal of helping our Olympians bring home the country’s first Olympic gold despite the challenges they face during this pandemic,” Romero said.