Senator Bong Go pushes for more campuses of the National Sports Academy.

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go expressed his desire to pursue regionalizing the National Academy of Sports (NAS), emphasizing the need to bring specialized sports education closer to underprivileged youth in the grassroots, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Speaking during the 5th Founding Anniversary celebration of NAS in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac on Thursday, June 19, Go underscored how decentralizing access to sports-focused education can provide more equitable opportunities for young athletes who are unable to relocate to Metro Manila or Luzon due to financial or logistical constraints.

“As for the NAS, under Republic Act No. 11470, the NAS Board shall provide for policies for the organization of future nationally funded high schools for sports,” Go stated. “We hope to regionalize. That is also one of my dreams now—my dream is that someday, the NAS will become regionalized.”

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He shared that the proposal is already being discussed with key agencies, showing early collaboration to turn this goal into a concrete policy direction.

“That’s what we discussed earlier with CHED (Commission on Higher Education), DepEd (Department of Education), the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), and our Executive Director—that hopefully, the NAS can be regionalized someday,” he said.

“So that our fellow Filipinos who don’t have the means to come here to Manila from Mindanao and Visayas can also study there in the Visayas and Mindanao. Let’s also give them the opportunity.”

Committee on Sports

As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Sports, Go reaffirmed his commitment to pursue this initiative through legislative means and encouraged the continued cooperation of government agencies and stakeholders.

“So let’s help each other. Aa legislator, as your chairman of Committees on Sports and on Youth,” he declared.

This proposal reflects Go’s broader and long-standing agenda to champion grassroots-oriented sports development. Since assuming the committee leadership in 2019, he has helped usher in a historic era in Philippine athletics. Under his watch, the country clinched its first-ever Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, followed by an unprecedented double-gold victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics—landmark achievements in the nation’s sporting history.

Go’s role in sports development extends beyond policy-making. As the sponsor of the sports budget in the Senate, he has been instrumental in sustaining government support for the sector. He pushed for the rehabilitation and improvement of critical sports facilities, such as the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila and the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, recognizing that world-class infrastructure, equipment, nutrition, and mental wellness support are vital to athlete success.

He has also consistently advocated for increased allocations to strengthen national sports programs and enhance Filipino athletes’ preparation and performance on the global stage. Equally important to him are efforts to identify and nurture young talent from the grassroots level, helping build a strong, competitive, and inclusive pipeline of future sports champions.

Landmark law

The push to regionalize NAS aligns seamlessly with this vision. Established through RA 11470 in 2020—a landmark law that Go served as one of the authors and co-sponsors—the NAS campus in New Clark City stands as a model for integrating secondary education with a specialized sports curriculum.

It allows promising student-athletes to receive quality academic instruction while developing their athletic potential in a state-of-the-art environment.

Through his ongoing work in the Senate, Go remains steadfast in his mission to ensure that every young Filipino—regardless of socioeconomic background or geographic location—has access to opportunities to succeed and thrive in sports.

“As an advocate of sports, we should also further advance sports development in the country, especially in the grassroots, so that aspiring young athletes can be allowed to improve their skills and, hopefully, eventually produce more Olympic medalists who will bring honor to our country,” said Go during his proclamation speech.

Go has also continuously pushed for an increased budget for sports programs to significantly improve Filipino athletes’ preparation, training, and competitive performance on the international stage while launching effective programs to cultivate the talents of young and aspiring sports enthusiasts at the grassroots level.

As Chairperson of the Senate Youth Committee, Go continues to urge government to prioritize sports engagement among citizens, not only for elite athletes but also for aspiring youth athletes, especially at the grassroots.

“That is why I keep encouraging fellow Filipinos, especially the youth, to get into sports, stay away from drugs to keep us healthy and fit,” he concluded. /mr