The Philippine Sports Commission is continuously relaying its national grassroots agenda region-by-region, this time in Kidapawan City to lecture local sports leaders and coaches of Region 12.
Commissioner Edward Hayco, the assigned lead commissioner for the agency’s grassroots initiative, already roamed within eight different places to conduct sports summits among leaders and coaches aimed to build inspiration on their pivotal role in producing new world-class athletes.
“In every summit we attend, I always stress the creativity that every coach can play in producing new Olympians. All of you here, as ordinary coaches, are able to breed champions,” Hayco said.
One of the main topics discussed in all of the summits conducted, so far, is the legal basis every sports leader can utilize in building partnerships of support from their respective local government units.
In Cotabato province, the LGU’s support is alive and victorious.
Kerwyn Pacifico, the representative of Cotabato’s Provincial Advisory Council for Sports stated that the province provides full support to their local athletes which resulted on a major leap of their Batang Pinoy rankings from the last two years. In 2023, the province finished in 25th overall, coming from the 71st placing on 2022.
“Dito sa amin, basta mag-qualify ka, for training ka na. Walang palakasan. We provide them vitamins, pagkain, allowance, jackets, and mga equipment,” Pacifico said.
In the 2022 edition Batang Pinoy, Cotabato Province finished with three silvers and seven bronzes, without gold medals.
The province got a massive boost on next year’s edition after tallying 12-13-17 gold-silver-bronze slate.
Hayco stressed that the collaboration of school-based associations like the Private Schools Athletic Association, State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association, the Department of Education’s Palarong Pambansa, and other LGU-based organizations will be maintained.