“Ang DepEd at ang PSC, sa katunayan, ay magkatuwang sa mga initial preparations para sa pagbubuo nitong National Academy of Sports,” DepEd Undersecretary for Field Operations and Palarong Pambansa Secretariat Atty. Revsee Escobedo said.

Escobedo shared that Education Secretary Leonor Briones would be the Chairperson while PSC Chair Mr. William ‘Butch’ Ramirez would be the Vice-Chairman of the institution. 

“Ang layunin ng pagtatatag ng National Academy of Sports ay to implement a quality and enhanced secondary education program, integrated with a special curriculum on sports,” Escobedo added. 

The NAS was founded on June 9 by the virtue of signing the Republic Act No. 11470 or the National Sports Academy Act to provide an avenue for secondary students who wants to pursue professional sports. 

Forming a new strand in the education sector, the NAS System aims to design a special curriculum for athletic scholars, provide holistic quality education to learners who are excelling in sports, and integrate all sports academy to one governance and management system. 

NAS System also intends to develop, strengthen, and integrate future campuses into the system and provide world-class sports facilities to produce globally-competitive athletes. 

“Hinahangad ng batas na ito ay magkaroon tayo ng world-class facilities kung saan dito magsasanay ang ating mga potential na mga manlalaro para sa Asian Games at Olympics,” Escobedo noted. 

For the succeeding steps, the organization would create NAS Road Map, focus more on the curriculum development, construct the NAS Main Campus, and draft its operational manuals to further improve the system. 

“Next year, ang pinagtutuonan natin ng pansin ay ‘yong main campus muna. Ito ay nasa New Clark City at ito ‘yong gagamitin munang main campus at ‘yong naitayong track oval doon at saka ‘yong swimming pool na ginamit during SEA Games ay ipapagamit muna ng BCDA [Bases Conversion and Development Authority] sa National Academy of Sports para maging training facility,” he said. 

NAS will have an allotted P1.86 billion in the 2021 proposed budget, where P264 million will be for personnel services and maintenance and other operating expenses, and P1.60 billion will be for capital outlay. 

Briones was delighted for the addition of the NAS in the education sector, which could give learners more avenues to pursue their specialization. 

“Sa ngayon, medyo kumpleto na ang ating [programs], mayroon na tayong mga science high schools, mayroon na ding high schools for the arts, ngayon mayroon na tayong high school for sports,” Briones said.