Bill creating National Academy of Sports gets House nod

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading the bill seeking to establish the National Academy of Sports (NAS) System.

With 206 affirmative votes, the lower chamber approved House Bill No. 6312 which essentially seeks to have an educational system “geared towards promoting and preparing the youth for a long-term career in sports.”

The NAS System will offer secondary education to natural-born Filipinos with “considerable potential in sports.”

“The NAS System is hereby mandated to implement initially a secondary education program, combined with a special curriculum on sports. It shall be geared to the early recognition and development of highly talented and exceptionally gifted children in the field of sports,” the bill states.

“It shall likewise be a continuing source of excellent athletes and sports leaders for the preservation and promotion of competitive sports in the Philippines,” it added.

The main campus of the NAS System will be constructed at the New Clark City Sports Complex in Capas town in Tarlac with learning, sports, housing, and other facilities and amenities.

The NAS System shall be governed by a Board of Trustees which is composed of the Secretary of Education who serves as Chairperson, the Chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as Vice-Chairperson.

The board’s members shall include the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Executive Director of the NAS System, a representative from the Philippine Olympics Committee, among others.

In his State of the Nation Address (Sona) in 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his support towards the move to create a National Academy of Sports for high school students.