House bill eyed to prioritize national athletes for COVID-19 vaccine

MANILA, Philippines — There is a chance that national athletes will be considered as frontliners and first to avail of the COVID-19 pandemic vaccine.

House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said he would sponsor a bill that will make Filipino athletes in the level of senior citizens, the sick and other frontliners who will be prioritized when the vaccines arrive either this March or April.

“Vaccine is a must for 2021 Tokyo Olympics so I’m espousing a House resolution prioritizing the Philippine athletes especially those competing in the Southeast Asian Games and Olympics as among those to be given vaccinations,” said Romero in Tuesday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

“This is a game-changer for athletes,” he added.

Romero, a 2019 Southeast Asian Games polo bronze medalist and Northport team owner, believes it is important to prioritize the national team members especially the Tokyo-bound and Olympic hopefuls since it is in this staging where the country has the best chance of ending its long search for an elusive first gold in the quadrennial summer games.

Among the names he mentioned with a strong chance of striking gold in Tokyo were 2016 Rio silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz, gymnast Caloy Yulo and boxer Eumir Felix Marcial.

“This is a chance of a lifetime for our athletes and the country to win an Olympic gold. And what we can do is to mitigate it by giving them vaccines,” said Romero.

Meanwhile, Romero is also refilling a resolution seeking the formation of a Department of Sports that he hopes will help get more funding compared to the meager funding that the Philippine Sports Commission is annually receiving.

“The Department of Sports will help a lot and improve funding in sports. It will also ensure that every time we host a SEA Games, money will be coursed straight to the department and not to private entities,” he said.