Upon learning of the plight of Benguet athletes, Rep. Eric Yap immediately organized a support initiative to ensure that athletes of the province have the resources to compete at their best in the Batang Pinoy (BP) National Games and the Philippine National Games (PNG) in Pasig City.
“When I heard about the problems about sending our athletes, hindi tayo pwede magturuan; na trabaho dapat ni ganito, or dapat iba yung may responsibility dito. These athletes, their parents and coaches are sacrificing. Hindi lang para sa pangarap nila but also para sa probinsya,” said Yap.
Unlike its neighboring Baguio, Benguet has meager resources to spend for athletes in competitions such as the BP and the PNG.
Yap has arranged transportation for Benguet delegates by providing a coaster that will ferry them from the province to Pasig and back.
He also rented 11 vehicles for a day due to the transport strike in Metro Manila on Dec. 18.
Yap also provided additional meals for the athletes and de-legates, and supplied energy drinks to keep them in top form throughout the duration of the events.
Having engaged in discussions with coaches who once wore the same shoes as their proteges, Yap recognized the financial strain of aspi-ring athletes saying the lack of adequate financial backing not only affects training but also hampers the overall development of potential sports stars.
Yap promised to allot incentives – P5,000 for gold me-dalists, P2,000 for silver, and P1,000 for bronze medalists.
These incentives not only serve as a reward for their achievements but also as an encouragement for their future endea-vors, fostering a culture of excellence and perseverance among Benguet’s budding sports talents.
Yap appealed to organizers of these events to consider rescheduling the competitions as local government units are also limited by funding concerns.
“We are appealing to the Philippine Sports Commission, organizer of this event. Huwag naman sana end of the year nag-oorganize ng ganitong big events. They know for a fact kung gaano kahirap ang pondo sa mga LGU at depleted na talaga yan lalo pag patapos na ang taon,” Yap said. – Press release
