Taguig 2nd District Rep. Lani Cayetano on Friday said the local government of Taguig is fully supportive of the needs of its athletes who bring pride and honor for the locality in numerous sporting events.
This statement came after she called for a strong grassroots development program in the aftermath of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s victory in the Olympics.
“Here in Taguig… our support to our athletes remains unwavering. In fact, all the athletes we send to different sporting events from municipal up to the national meets are fully supported by the local government,” Cayetano said in Bicolano in an interview with RMN Naga on July 30.
Cayetano believes other cities and municipalities should emulate what Taguig had done for its sports development program as this will pave the way for the discovery of excellent talents.
“The Taguig City government believes in the capabilities of our athletes and the possibility that they can reach the Olympics to bring home pride for our country. However, to get there, we need to pour in investment for their training and education,” she said.
With her strong resolve for a better grassroots sports development program, Cayetano and the other members of the Balik sa Tamang Serbisyo (BTS) sa Kongreso authored House Bill No. 5480 which created the National Academy for Sports.
Through the National Academy for Sports, young Filipino athletes who get chosen for the program are entitled to a scholarship grant, monthly stipends, free board and lodging, and other education-related needs.
“We are happy that we are one of the co-authors of the National Academy for Sports because this will be a source of continuing support for our athletes who will then be future Olympians,” Cayetano said.
“The future is bright for our Filipino athletes. We just need to provide them the needed help to hone their skills,” she added.
