Senator and chair of the Senate Committee on Sports Christopher “Bong” Go, on Monday, 1 August, filed a Senate resolution commending and congratulating Davemark “Dave” Apolinario for winning the International Boxing Organization flyweight crown at the International Convention Centre in East London, South Africa last Saturday.
Senate Resolution No. 84 states that Apolinario’s triumph is “a result of his hard work, dedication, and perseverance, which serves as an inspiration to all Filipino athletes.”
It also noted that the government “shall promote physical education and encourage sports programs, league competitions, and amateur sports, including training for international competitions, to foster self-discipline, teamwork and excellence for the development of a healthy and alert citizenry.”
Dave Apolinario defeated Gideon Buthelezi to win the IBO world flyweight title, bringing his perfect record to 17-0 with 12 knockouts. Apolinario controlled the match after knocking out his South African opponent in the first round.
A sports enthusiast, 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 PhP100,000 to athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in Japan.
Go also successfully appealed to the government to include in the priority list for COVID-19 vaccination the Filipino athletes and other delegates who will be competing or participating in the Olympics.
Go has also pushed for the allocation of sufficient funding for the preparation, training and participation of Filipino athletes in the 2022 Southeast Asian Games and other international competitions.
At the height of the pandemic, Go urged concerned agencies to help athletes whose training and livelihood had been hampered by the restrictions. This led to the provision of financial assistance and other forms of aid to athletes in various parts of the country.
Go also authored and co-sponsored the measure that became Republic Act No. 11470. The law, which former president Rodrigo Duterte signed in June 2020, provides for the establishment of the National Academy of Sports at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas, Tarlac.
The NAS also offers a secondary education program with an integrated special curriculum on sports which was developed in close coordination with the Department of Education and Philippine Sports Commission.
The academy is equipped with world-class sports facilities, housing and other amenities on par with international standards. Sufficient number of classrooms and other facilities have also been built at the complex to provide a conducive learning environment for all the students.
According to Go, aside from honing the skills of budding Filipino athletes, sports will help them stay away from illegal drugs and criminality.
To ensure the international competitiveness of the student-athletes, the academy likewise provides services of licensed and internationally-certified foreign coaches, trainers and consultants, duly certified by the PSC.
As one of his priority measures in the 19th Congress, Go also filed Senate Bill No. 423, or the proposed Philippine National Games (PNG) Act of 2022, to provide a structure for a more comprehensive national sports program, linking grassroots sports promotion to national sports development.