Determined to establish a new P3.5 billion Philippine Sports Training Center (PSTC), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez targets its opening by 2021.
With President Rodrigo Duterte signing into law Republic Act (RA) 11214 on February 14, Ramirez said that their team has started the plans to put up the PSTC in Tarlac by 2021.
“Creating the law doesn’t mean that it (PSTC) will be right there. There’s a process we still have to follow like creating implementing rules and regulations (IRR). There will be a task force to set certain criteria. Most probably, if we are lucky, we can chart that by 2021”, Ramirez said.
PCO secretary general Edwin Gastanes, who was recently appointed on August 9, said that the “state-of-the-art” facility will be beneficial to all our athletes.
Under RA 11214, the proposed new international-standard sports complex will be “highly scientific”. It will include sports facilities and amenities for the Olympic sports and other sports activities deemed significant and necessary by the PSTC.
Gastanes also encouraged local sports directors to endorse names of promising young athletes whose talents can be developed, and even said that scholarships are up for deserving kids.
“We (from PCO) are looking for deserving talents. Batang Pinoy National Championships is a good place to scout for these since marami sa ating Olympians ang galing din sa Batang Pinoy. This, including the establishment of PSTC is just one way of how committed we are in supporting our athletes,” Gastanes said.
