Go urging Pinoy youth to take sports

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go reiterated his commitment to continue pushing for grassroots sports development in the country, a way to continue fight against illegal drugs and criminality.

“I thank my fellow senators for their support and confidence in my ability to lead the Senate Committee on Sports again. This means only one thing – that we can continue my initiatives in the sports development of our country, make the field of sports an instrument in the suppression of drugs and criminality, and keep our Filipino youth away from the hands of bad vices through sports,” said Go, who was recently reelected chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports.

“That’s why whenever my office distributes aid to our poor countrymen whose livelihoods are affected by the pandemic and other crises, I always give out basketball and volleyball balls to the young beneficiaries to encourage them to sharpen their skills and ability in the game they are passionate about,” he added.

An avid sports enthusiast, Go noted how the country is brimming with world-class athletes and yet-tobe-tapped talents in the field of sports, prompting him to persistently push for more measures and initiatives to nurture such potential.

“I believe that many young Filipinos in remote communities have extraordinary abilities in various sports. This is one of the reasons why I will fight in the Senate for the passage of the Philippine National Games (PNG) Act of 2022,” he said.

If passed into law, Go said the measure will ensure a more inclusive system of promoting promising Filipino athletes who possess potential in various fields of sports to be given an equal opportunity of becoming future contenders in international sporting competitions and cement the country’s status as a “sports powerhouse in Asia.”

Go has been consistently supporting Filipino athletes who are competing in international competitions. Last year, following a request from the Philippine Sports Commission coursed through Go, the Office of the President approved the additional allowance of P100,000 to athletes that competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

He likewise pushed for the allocation of sufficient funding for the Filipino delegates to the 2022 Southeast Asian Games and other international competitions.

Go also authored and co-sponsored Republic Act No. 11470, establishing the National Academy of Sports.