DONATION. (L-R) Rep. Joet Garcia, Gov. Albert Garcia, Sen. Bong Go and PSC chairman Butch Ramirez sign the deed of donation for a 25-hectare land in Bagac, Bataan where the Philippine Sports Training Center will be built. Photo by Ernie Esconde
MARIVELES, Bataan — A giant sports training center that will host national and international events and serve as home to national athletes is soon to rise in Bataan with the signing Tuesday of a deed of donation for a 25-hectare land in scenic Bagac town.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chair of the Senate committee on sports, witnessed the signing at the Oriental Hotel in Mariveles.
“Ito ang first Philippine Sports Commission-owned complex in the Philippines. Kapag nagkaisa ang lahat, malayo ang mararating ng sports tulad ng magandang record ng Pilipinas noong nakaraang Southeast Asian Games,” the senator said.
Go announced that soon the country will have a National Academy for Sports to be built in New Clark City where athletes can practice and at the same time continue with their studies.
“Ilapit natin ang mga kabataan sa sports upang malayo sa droga,” he said.
Go lauded the efforts of Bataan 2nd District Rep. Jose Enrique “Joet” Garcia 3rd for pushing the passage of the bill on the sports training center that was signed into law by President Duterte.
Joet is the principal author of a bill that was enacted into Republic Act 11214 that mandated the building of the Philippine Sports Training Center (PSTC) in Bataan.
The congressman said the people of Bataan are sports-minded playing basketball and volleyball in covered courts available in most barangays of the province.
“Simbolo ito ng liwanag sa madilim na pandemya na ating pinagdaraanan. Made-develop sa sports ang husay at kalusugan ng mga kabataan,” Joet said of the project.
Go also announced that he has asked the Inter-Agency Task Force to include athletes in the priority list of vaccination against Covid – 19.
PSC chairman William Ramirez signed and accepted the donation from Gov. Albert “Abet” Garcia at a simple program where the chairman noted Bataan turning into a sports city upon the completion of the project.
Ramirez said Bataan was the right choice as home for the country’s athletes.
Joining Ramirez were PSC commissioners Ramon Fernandez, Celia Kiram and Arnold Agustin. With the governor were Joet, Dinalupihan Mayor Maria Angela Garcia III, Mariveles Mayor Jocelyn Castañeda and Hermosa Mayor Jopet Inton.
“Importante ang sports training center. Not only will it help future athletes of our country and province, iIto rin ang makakatulong sa target nating life expectancy,” Governor Abet said.
He said that in order to attain long life expectancy target in Bataan, every village should regularly conduct fun runs, Zumba, and other physical activities.
The governor said Bataan is an ideal site for the PSTC being close to Subic and Clark and connected to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. Soon, he said, the longest bridge in the world will be built connecting Bataan and Cavite through Manila Bay.
“Bataan is in the middle of the entire Luzon. Kitang-kita ng mga atleta ang makasaysayang malaking krus sa Mt. Samat na makaka-inspire sa kanila,” Abet said.
