MANILA — The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) assured that it is committed to partnering with and give its full support to the grassroots sports programs of various national sports associations (NSAs) for 2020.
PSC chairman William Ramirez made this assurance as the government sports agency has started discussing with the different NSAs their sports programs during the start of a series of consultations on their budget requirements at the PSC Administrative Building in Malate, Manila on Tuesday.
On top of the agencies growing grassroots programs like the Children’s Games and Batang Pinoy, Ramirez said the PSC is open to supporting NSAs which intend to develop sports programs for the country’s grassroots.
“We want to help NSAs in their own grassroots sports programs for the country,” he said. “When they conduct a strong and effective grassroots program, they help us carry out our mandate to make sports accessible to every Filipino, and to develop a strong citizenry, not to mention creating a deep pool from which Elite sports could cull their future stars”.
In response, Karate Pilipinas Sports Federation, Inc. (KPSFI) president Richard Lim thanked the PSC for its determination to strengthen the country’s grassroots sports programs.
“Last year, we managed to conduct training and sports clinics across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from our own pockets. We thank the PSC for this new development in promoting our sports in the country,” Lim said.
Updates on NSA’s International Federation (IF) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) accreditation, and athlete’s profiles will also be tackled in the meetings to be headed by each PSC commissioner in charge.
The first two days of meetings will focus on karate, judo, boxing, muay, pencak silat, and wushu under the supervision of PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez.
Despite his hectic schedule, Ramirez made it a point to be present in the budget meetings recognizing the importance of discussing issues and requirements with the different sports leaders.
“We have limited resources, and we want to maximize the use of it,” Ramirez said.
Meanwhile, PSC Commissioner Celia Kiram on Tuesday formally received the PHP470-million check remittance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, provided for in Republic Act 6847 as fund contribution for the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) in a simple turnover ceremony. (PR)
