The heroics of young athletes displayed in the ongoing Palarong Pambansa is awe inspiring. That’s the beauty of sports. Not only that it unites everyone under one sky, it also produce the most unlikely of heroes.
It’s probably not as emphasized as it is now, but the exploits of young athletes in the Palaro is a learning experience for local government units to invest heavily on sports programs–both infrastructure and institutional–as one of its main weapons against the lure of illegal drugs on young people. These athletes have used sports as a vehicle not only to develop character but also to safeguard them in a way against the temptations of illegal drugs and petty crimes.
These heroes emerging before us coming from different parts of the country deserve our applause no matter which region they play for. It does not matter now that they are not from Davao or they are the opponents of our home teams and players. The more compelling reason to appreciate the spectacle unfolding before us in this Palarong Pambansa is seeing these young people rise from all the challenges in life to achieve what they worked so hard for. The winners will wear proudly the gold, silver and bronze medals on their necks. However, those who missed out on the medals still are winners in their own right–winners in the battle against illegal drugs and other vices that have ruined and are still wrecking the lives of many young Filipino children.
Thus, local government units should look at the effects of sports among our children and consider making a good investment in their own localities. Legendary track star Elma Muros herself stressed the importance of the support mechanism coming from the LGUs to encourage participation in sports. Not everyone would become excellent athletes but if most children are lured out there in the gyms, fields, tracks and courts of various sports disciplines, then we can be assured of a drug-free future generation.
