Engaging youth in sports activities can help redirect them toward positive routines and reduce online exposure amid rising school-related violence, according to the Education chief.
“Of course, when they’re young, they have so much energy, it needs to be redirected and rechanneled to positive activities,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara told reporters in Filipino during an interview on Tuesday.
“Instead of always playing computer games, maybe physical activity is good for the youth,” he added.
15 school-related incidents and threats were reported to authorities from June 16 to July 6. Among these is a school shooting in Cavite, which killed three students and injured several others.
Last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) ordered all public schools to revive the School Sports Club (SSC) to improve students’ physical fitness and well-being.
“We have about 100 new sports clubs and facilities through the office of the President and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC),” Mr. Angara said. “We are strengthening our sports clubs, at the same time, it’s good to have extracurricular.”
He also highlighted the role of the National Academy for Sports (NAS), an attached agency of the DepEd in close coordination with PSC, in championing positive youth development alongside elite athletic excellence.
“If we have good athletes in our provinces, they can come here to train, just like Alex Eala, who was given proper coaching and support,” he said. “The President’s message is also the same – let’s not waste our potential, let’s use it.”
NAS currently supports 246 student-athletes across seven foundational sports, including aquatics, athletics, badminton, gymnastics, judo, table tennis, and taekwondo. Students from the academy have access to 24/7 care, dormitory housing, full daily meals and snacks, strength and conditioning support, and a monthly allowance of P3,000.
“So mostly, if not all, were really recruited from the different provinces and regions who were the rock stars of the elementary division of Palarong Pambansa,” NAS Executive Director Francis Carlos Diaz told reporters in an interview.
“When they’re here, so we develop them, we give them really good resources for their athletic development, and they enjoy a holistic quality secondary education,” he added. “The ecosystem of support for our student-athletes here at the academy differs from any other school programs that has sports.”
The academy has won 1,029 medals in national and international competitions in 2025 and 26 medals in the recent Palarong Pambansa.
A regional NAS campus in the Visayas or Mindanao is expected to rise within the next five years to support students’ sports development further.
“It’s actually in the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) when the academy was enacted,” Mr. Diaz said. “We’ve started to fix the guidelines for that, and the mandate is to have the next 5 years, either one in Visayas or one in Mindanao.” — Almira Louise S. Martinez
