A bill seeking to strengthen the protection of student-athletes has been filed in the Senate on Tuesday.
Senator JV Ejercito filed Senate Bill No. 2269, or the “Student-Athletes Comprehensive Protection Act of 2026,” which aims to amend and expand Republic Act No. 10676, also known as the Student-Athletes Protection Act, to provide broader safeguards and rights for student-athletes.
The proposal comes following the deaths of two Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball players, Rene Clert Baterbonia and Divine Adili, who drowned in Dipaculao, Aurora earlier this month.
Under the measure, schools and athletic associations would be required to ensure that student-athletes are able to train and compete in a safe and healthy environment, with safeguards against physical, psychological, and emotional harm.
The bill also guarantees the right of student-athletes to privacy over personal health information that may cause defamation or discrimination, including family medical history and physical or mental health conditions requiring treatment.
It further seeks to protect student-athletes from exploitation, undue influence, and other conditions that may be detrimental to their physical, mental, emotional, social, and moral development.
One of the six rights of student-athletes outlined in the bill is ”the right of the student-athlete to have access to health care professionals who will monitor his/her physical health condition and nutritional needs, particularly during training and competitions and immediately after the competitions, as provided by the school, and to medics in emergency situations during athletic programs or competitions, as provided by the athletic association.”
The measure also provides that current and former student-athletes should receive ”free or subsidized medical coverage from participating schools or athletic associations” in cases of sports-related injuries or harm sustained during official athletic programs or competitions.
“Sa ngayon, walang express provision sa batas tungkol sa student protection during practice, training at iba pang school-sanctioned activities. Pero hindi ito sapat, na iasa lang natin sa good intentions ang kaligtasan ng ating mga atleta,” Ejercito said in a Facebook post.
He added, “We hope to strengthen accountability in the law so that the safety and welfare of student-athletes are not treated as discretionary but as a legal responsibility of schools, coaches, and athletic associations.”
