Party-list nominates retired Cebuano boxer
PUWERSA ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar has announced the selection of a retired Cebuano professional boxer Z. Gorres as their third nominee.
Gorres, a resident of Mandaue City, retired from boxing after he was seriously injured in a fight in the United States in November 2009.
Sambar said they want Gorres, who is now a trainer at the Ala gym in barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City, to represent retired and incapacitated athletes.
Gorres will be able to have a seat in Congress if the PBA gets at least a million votes.
Sambar was in Cebu Saturday to solicit support for his party-list. He said he will push for a law mandating cities to allocate open spaces for sports activities. He lamented that cities today lack spaces for recreational activities, forcing athletes to train in private sports centers.
“We want cities to include in their urban planning the creation of green spaces where the youth can enjoy sports,” Sambar said.
If the party-list gets re-elected, Sambar said, they will also push for a law granting retirement and medical benefits to professional athletes who reach the age 50.
He said that each athletes who are known world champions and winners in international competitions should at least get a P20,000 monthly pension from the government when they retire.
The party-list has given scholarships to 4,000 athletes. Sambar said they are exploring other ways to help athletes and their families, such as partnering with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and providing them seed money to start a business. /CORRESPONDENT NORMAN MENDOZA
