THE Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Partylist is re-lobbying a bill creating a separate department for sports, culture, and arts.
PBA Representative Margarita Ignacia "Migs" Nograles of Davao City, filed House Bill (HB) No. 3597 or "An Act Creating The Department Of Sports, Culture and Arts Defining Its Powers And Functions, Appropriating Fundings Therefor, And For Other Purposes."
Nograles said that there is a need to establish a unified national sport, culture, and arts body in order to incentivize the country's athletes, coaches, and cultural artists to ensure and facilitate wider participation in domestic and international competitions and performances.
The proposed bill would merge the current existing agencies Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in one agency.
She said during the Online Sport Leadership Program National Summit 2022 at the Palawan State University on Friday, October 21, that the proposed department would help various sporting organizations, and schools, both public and private, which also support their respective athletes.
"If that passes into law, and we will have a budget for that, it would be easier to do collaboration, or to speak to the Secretary of the Department to have also a budget solely for the development of athletes and sports community throughout the Philippines," Nograles said.
The PBA representative said that this will be the third time that her party will be filing the bill with the first and second filed during the 17th and 18th Congress, respectively.
Nograles’ brother, then Davao City First District Representative and current Civil Service Commissioner Karlo Nograles filed a similar bill in 2016.
She said this would be similar to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), which existed from 1987 until 2001, which led to its separation into different agencies: Department of Education (DepEd), PSC, and NCCA.
The lawmaker hopes that this would be reintegrated, excluding DepEd, into the proposed department.
Meanwhile, among the proposed department's functions include policy and planning; oversight integration of sports, culture, and arts promotion and development programs for the country; and establishing and maintaining linkages with international sports federations and national sports organizations of other countries.
The proposed department would also establish, develop, and maintain world-class fully equipped sports facilities and centers in the country. RGL