BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance on a comprehensive sports development code of the city.
The ordinance authored by Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan and Councilors Lilia A. Fariñas and Levy Lloyd Oracales states that part of the code includes the creation of the Baguio Sports Commission to imlement it.
The ordinance shall govern and regulate sports development and promote youth welfare in the city, including accreditation, registration, supervision in the conduct of sports and youth-oriented activities and progress, through the creation of a Baguio Sports Commission.
The ordinance shall apply to all, such as youth welfare, local sports associations, chapters, institutions, and the like, that are sports- and youth-related.
The ordinance adds all athletes, coaches, trainers and officiating officers shall not be allowed to represent the city or receive cash incentive from the same without first securing approval from the Baguio Sports Commission.
Under the proposed ordinance, the local sports associations shall be responsible in submitting to the Baguio Sports Commission their official list of athletes, coaches and trainers for appropriate action by the Commission. The same shall be residents of the city or enrolled in any of the schools and universities in the city to qualify6 for accreditation.
Moreover, only athletes, coaches and trainers accredited by the Baguio Sports Commission shall have the sole authority to represent the city by bearing the name and official logo of Baguio and official uniforms, flags or banners in regional, Luzon-wide, national and international competitions, whether organized by the government or private sector, duly sanctioned by the national sports associations, Philippine Sports Association, Philippine Olympic Committee or its mother sports agency.
According to the measure, only qualified athletes recommended by the local sports associations and the Baguio Sports Commission shall be allowed to compete for the city except for special cases which may be decided through arbitration by the Baguio Sports Commission.
The ordinance requires athletes, coaches and trainers to present their barangay clearances, school certification and parents’ consent for elementary and high school students when applying for accreditation with the Baguio Sports Commission while local sports associations are mandated to present to the Commission their certificates of accreditation from their respective national sports associations, certificates of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission, official list of accredited athletes, coaches and trainers.
The ordinance stipulates that the official delegation of Baguio City participating in regional, Luzon-wide, invitational, national and international competitions shall be composed of, but not limited to, the congressman as head of delegation, mayor as head of delegation, members of the city council headed by the vice mayor as honorary members, city sports development officer as member, representative from the Baguio Sports Commission, representative from the Department of Education, representative from the Philippine Sports Commission, medical team, representative from the media, support staff from the city government, athletes, coaches and trainers and chaperons for female athletes.**By Dexter A. See
