PASAY CITY -- Senator Christopher "Bong" Go once again praised Filipino athletes who excelled in their respective sporting events at the 2021 Hanoi Southeast Asian Games, including weightlifter Vanessa Sarno and boxers Eumir Marcial and Rogen Ladon.

Sarno set a new SEA Games record in weightlifting and bagged the second gold of the country in the said sport. Touted as the next Hidilyn Diaz, Sarno set a new record in weightlifting women’s 71kg after lifting a total of 239kg — 104kg in snatch and 135kg in clean and jerk.

"Nais ko pong batiin si Vanessa Sarno sa napakalaking tagumpay na nakamit niya sa SEA Games matapos niyang makapag-break ng record sa women's weightlifting at makuha ang gintong medalya para sa Pilipinas," said Go.

Go also congratulated Marcial and Rogen who both won golds in boxing for the country after defeating their opponents in the middleweight and flyweight divisions, respectively.

Marcial has also won gold medals at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions of the SEA Games. Meanwhile, Ladon retained his title after defeating his Vietnamese opponent Thao Tran Van.

“Maraming salamat po sa pagdala ninyo ng karangalan sa buong bansa. Proud po sa inyo ang lahat ng mga kababayan ninyong Pilipino. Mabuhay po kayo!” said the senator.

As of May 22, 9:00 pm, the Philippines has clinched 220 medals — 50 golds, 70 silvers, and 100 bronzes.

Witnessing the success of the country in the ongoing regional meet, the senator committed to continue promoting the welfare of the country’s athletes as part of the ongoing efforts to restore the Philippines’ glory in sports and thanked them once again for their contributions in nation-building.

“Para sa ating mga huwarang atleta, ako ay nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat, lalo na sa inyong walang kapantay na dedikasyon,” said Go.

“Sama-sama nating ibalik ang dangal ng Pilipinas sa sports, kayo ay nagpapatunay na ang angking galing ng mga Pilipino ay pang world-class na nararapat lamang na pasalamatan at papurihan,” reiterated the senator.

Go believes that with sustained government investment in sports development especially in the grassroots, young Filipinos will be given the opportunity to uplift their lives and bring honor to the country.

A sports enthusiast himself, Go is an ardent advocate of long-term grassroots sports development. According to him, aside from honing the skills of budding Filipino sports enthusiasts, sports will help them stay away from illegal drugs and criminality.

“President (Rodrigo) Duterte has always asserted that sports will allow young Filipinos to spend their time and energy more productively and keep them away from the clutches of illegal drugs and criminality. This way, we will have a better and healthier citizenry that will contribute further to our nation-building,” Go previously stated.

As part of Go’s vision to provide a dedicated academy where promising young athletes can further hone their talents while getting quality education, he authored and co-sponsored the National Academy of Sports bill in the Senate which became Republic Act No. 11470 in 2020. The measure establishes the NAS System and Main Campus in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.

The NAS is a government-run academy aimed at developing the country’s future athletes by offering quality secondary education with a special curriculum on sports for gifted young Filipinos who want to enhance their physical and mental capabilities in sports.

“It is about time that we establish a learning institution focused on sports. Kaya naman inaanyayahan ko ang mga kabataang atleta na lumahok sa scholarship program ng National Academy of Sports,” said Go.

“Ngayon na meron nang National Academy of Sports, mabibigyan na ang mga kabataang atleta ng pagkakataon na mag-training at makapag-aral sa isang world-class na pasilidad at eskwelahan,” he added.

Go then highlighted the Duterte Administration’s relentless support for sports in the last six years, rekindling hopes that the Philippines will reclaim its position as a sports powerhouse in the region.

“Kailangan po talaga ng mas maigting na suporta mula sa gobyerno para ma-develop ang angking galing sa sports ng ating mga kabataang Pinoy, kaya naman po kung papalarin gusto kong isulong ang isang grassroots long-term sports development program,” Go said. (OSBG)