THE role of the government is to provide the minimum level of support to sports events, but it failed so that most of our athletes have little food and have no budget for vitamins and protein.
This was the comment of former congressman Mark Aeron H. Sambar of PBA Party-List in a press conference at the Bohol Bee Farm Restaurant at Robinson’s Galleria.
Sambar is the number nominee of PBA Party-List in the May 9, 2016 elections. Jericho Nograles of Davao City and Allan Geronimo of Luzon are the second and third nominees, respectively.
“Athletes have no nutritionists to take care of their food. We’re always back to square one in sports and we are blaming anybody for it. We must do something to improve it,” Sambar said.
No funds
Sambar said sports programs in the country deteriorated fast when the government reorganized the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) and abolished its culture and sports divisions and renamed it as Department of Education (DepEd).
Sports was transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission, while culture was delegated to the Philippine Cultural Commission, without the corresponding budgets.
“How can you move without budgets?” Sambar said.
As a result, sports and cultural programs in the country deteriorated fast that gold medals are seldom heard for Filipino athletes in world competitions.
Sambar said it is high time Congress created the Department of Sports, Culture and Recreation (DSCR) to save the country’s deteriorating sports and culture program.
Sambar said he filed a bill creating the Department of Sports in the 15th Congress (2010-2013), but it did not pass into law due to lack of time.
Sambar planned to refile it in the 16th Congress (2013-2016), but their group was short of 10,000 votes in the 2013 election.
“If we will win seats in the 17th Congress (2016-2019), we will refile that bill, this time as Department of Sports, Culture and Recreation, because sports is a big part of culture. Recreation is also part of sports, especially those who participate in sports activities not to be professionals on that field, but for recreation,” Sambar said.
Talent
Sambar said there are talented athletes in the provinces, but unfortunately, the sports training facilities were concentrated in Metro Manila, depriving them of the opportunity to train as professional athletes.
Once DSCR is created, sports, culture and recreation programs and projects will have annual budgets under the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“If we want to have projects on health, we talk to Department of Health (DOH). If we request road projects, we call on Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). But if we want to have sports projects, no department is taking care of it,” Sambar said.
The former congressman said that a study revealed that sports will make athletes and kids disciplined persons who keep away from crimes.
Jeff Chan and Ranidel De Ocampo of Gilas Pilipinas and Coach Jefferson Codero Jr. who were with Sambar said that sports can unite people in a community so that they are supporting a party-list than can promote sports and culture.