House bats for Magna Carta for athletes

The Lower House legislators are preparing a Magna Carta for sports, designed to benefit all active and retired national and professional athletes.

Rep. Roberto Puno (1st District, Antipolo) said they are evaluating five sports bills at the moment, including two seeking to grant retirement benefits to professional athletes.

An inventory of these bills is being done at this stage and after a thorough study, they hope to come up with one that would benefit all athletes, according to Puno, formerly the Philippine Basketball Association’s marketing chief.

Puno’s statement came after the Philippine Sports Commission and the health care insurance company Philhealth forged an agreement, giving dental, medical and hospitalization benefits to RP team members – both able and differently abled – and their immediate families.

Puno wants to include former professionals, including boxers and basketball players to be part of the package.

“We would like to see incentive benefits for the disabled and professional athletes as well, particularly those who gave honor to the country during their prime but didn’t do well after retirement,” said Puno.

Last month, solons started deliberations on the merits of House Bills 244 and 278 authored by Manuel “Way Kurat” Zamora of Compostella Valley and Darlene Antonino-Custodio of South Cotabato’s first district that similarly seeking health care benefits to ex-pros who won a world title.

Two more bills – HB 2265 and 2485 – and penned by Jose Carlos Lacson (third district Negros Occidental) and Monico Puentevella (Bacolod City), respectively, seek to amend Republic Act 9064, or the Athletes’ Incentives Act.

Both bills seek to give equal incentives to differently abled athletes who snared medals in the Southeast Asian Para Games, the Asian Para Games and the Paralympics.

There is another one – HB 3319 – that seeks to direct the sports agency to establish and administer a program to support research into the possible use of performance-enhancing but not banned substances  that would improve the Nationals’ chances in international competitions.

Sen. Gringo Honasan first broached the idea of a Magna Carta last year when he held a series of discussions with sports officials, National athletes, coaches and trainers.