Province authors grassroots sports dev’t program

THE newly created Cebu Provincial Sports Commission (CPSC) wasted no time in drafting its own grassroots sports development program with an eye to developing the athletic potential of Cebu’s youth.

With Provincial Board member Raul D. Alcoseba, the CPSC vice-chairman at the helm, the first-ever Cebu Provincial Grassroots Sports Development Program was officially unveiled Thursday at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

The program “aims to establish and institutionalize a comprehensive grassroots sports program for the entire province of Cebu” and has an allocated budget of P2.6 million.

During the forum attended by CPSC members Hon. Peter John Calderon (chairman of the Committee on Education), Hon. Celestino A. Martinez III (vice chairman of the Committee on Budget and Appropriation) and lawyer Ramil P. Abing, the executive director of the CPSC, Danny Villagracia explained that the program’s main objective is to identify and train athletes with the potential to win medals in competitions like Batang Pinoy and the Philippine National Games. The program will also identify and train coaches with superb coaching skills.

The CPSC is chaired by Michel J. Lhuillier.

Others who attended the forum were CPSC members Nenita Jaralve of the DepEd, private sector representatives Dr. Danilo O. Villadolid, Nimrod Quiñones, Randolph M. Su and University of Cebu’s famed table tennis mentor, Jessica J. Honoridez.

Among the priority sports included in the program are athletics, swimming, table tennis, badminton, chess, baseball, basketball, football, sepak takraw, softball, volleyball, arnis, karatedo and taekwondo.

These programs will be  overseen by a designated head.

A total of 2,240 athletes from the 51 component cities and municipalities divided into the province’s six congressional districts are expected to become part of the said program, which will be ushered in with the Trainers’ Training this May in each of the six Congressional Districts.