SENATE Sports Committee chairman Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go asked his colleagues to support the 2022 budget proposal for the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
“I would like to express my full support to the proposed budgets of the three agencies [including the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office] who are here with us today,” Go said in his manifestation during the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on Monday.
“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and as a passionate advocate for sports development in the country, I believe that investing in sports will not only allow our country to develop more world-class athletes…but will also help us in keeping our youth away from illegal drugs and other harmful vices,” Go said.
Go stressed that the PSC and GAB “need budgetary support from us now, more than ever, as they are finding it difficult to keep our sports program afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
He said that outside of the budget deliberations, he sought assistance from the private sector to help finance the training of promising Filipino athletes.
Go said that he advocated for Republic Act No. 11470 that established the National Academy for Sports at New Clark City with the help of Senator Pia Cayetano, as well as for the inclusion of P100 million, which was later increased to P250 million, to support Filipino athletes’ preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and other international competitions.
“I am asking for the support of my fellow senators to support the PSC and GAB budget in order for our country’s sports development to go unabated,” he said.