CEBU City residents aged six to 25 years old can now develop their sports skills with the support from the City.
This, as the City Council approved on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, the Grassroots Sports Development Programs Ordinance, which was authored by Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
The ordinance effectively institutionalized the sports program at the grassroots level.
Before the approval of the ordinance, current City Sports Commission Chairman Edward Hayco and his wife Eleanor had started the dancesport grassroots program in 1998. This later gave birth to the Grassroots Sports Development Program in 2010.
In 2014, then Philippine Sports Commission chairman Ricardo Garcia said he contemplated on making the grassroots program of Cebu City a template for other sports programs in the country.
During the regular session last Wednesday, Hayco said senior athletes in his program are tasked to train the younger athletes; if they refused, they would not be able to join national and international competitions.
For his part, Gabuya said the grassroots program would instill a sense of determination, discipline and dedication in the athletes’ minds.
The funds for the program will be sourced from the City’s annual budget. The City’s shares from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. will also supplement the program.
The budget will be used in buying equipment for the athletes and paying the trainers’ honoraria.
An aspiring athlete must be fit and certified as healthy by a government physician before joining the program.
During the 30th Southeast Asian Games, nine of the 149 gold medals that the Philippines got were won by athletes who started in the grassroots programs in Cebu City. (JJL)