True to his word that the athletes’ welfare is of paramount importance, party-list congressman Mikee Romero (Pacman) yesterday approved the establishment of a national training center in Pampanga that will cater to the needs of the country’s elite athletes.
In partnership with fellow congressman Conrad Estrella, the House Committee on Youth and Sports chairman, Romero envisions a world-class facility rising in the Clark Special Economic Zone, if the bill – known as the “National Sports Training Center, Act” – will be passed into law by the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The training centers and dormitories of our athletes as well as the offices of the Philippine Sports Commission will be built inside the 50-hectare complex,” said Romero. “It’s going to be a dream come true for our national athletes.”
To achieve excellence in the international sports competitions, both Estrella and Romero said Filipino athletes should train not only in well-equipped facilities but also in a more conducive atmosphere as the conditions at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) have worsened through the years.
The center will be at par with those found in First World countries and it’s completion can be done in 18 months after a six-month period of planning.
Aside from being the official training venue and home of national athletes, the sports complex shall also be the center for sports science and research development, and venue for the training of coaches and referees.
The ownership of the training center, including its sports facilities and amenities is vested on the PSC leadership which its chairman becoming the chairperson of the Board and the Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways as co-chairperson.
Other members of the Boars are the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Sports and the House Committee on Youth and Sports , Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and head of the Clark Development Corporation.
The PSC chairman has the sole authority to name an Executive Director, who in turn, will direct and supervise the day-to-day operation of the training center.