“I really believe na dapat ibalik ‘to, yung grassroots sports program. Kailangan naka-integrate sa DepEd di ba, from kindergarten all the way to college, dahil napakaimportante ng sports,” Cayetano said.

“Remember, ang sports po ay nakatahi sa ating pang-araw-araw na buhay. Whether you talk about anti-drugs, you talk about teamwork, you talk about discipline, you talk about passion, you talk about nutrition, isama-sama niyo po lahat yan, makikita ninyo sa sports,” he added. 

At the same time, Cayetano said the NAS will serve as the go-to state school for sports, just as the Philippine Science High School system is for science and technology education, the Philippine High School for the Arts in Los Baños, Laguna for creative studies, as well as the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City for training military officers.

The lawmaker also spoke about the potential for growth in sports tourism in the country if the government invests in sports infrastructure nationwide to aid in establishing a grassroots sports program.

“Many people don’t know that billions and billions of dollars po ang sports tourism — kasama na lahat po dito, hosting, training,” he said.

He explained that athletes in countries with harsh winter weather, such as Japan and those in Europe, could avail themselves of winter camps in sports facilities in the Philippines once these are built.

“Perfect po ang Clark and other parts of the country na kung saan pwede silang mag-summer camp o mag-winter camp,” he said.

“Binubulong ko lang siyempre sa mga taga-dito sa NAS na sana ma-maintain ng husto kasi iba talaga kapag world-class facilities, nakaka-inspire,” he added.