The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Wednesday said it has launched the Coach Developer Academy, which will prepare coach developers for training and certifying coaches, following the recent tragedy that claimed the lives of Blue Eagle players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
“The Philippine Sports Commission has already begun this work through the Coach Developer Academy, which prepares coach developers who will train and certify coaches under the forthcoming National Sports Coaching Certification Program,” the PSC said in a statement.
The initiative is currently being implemented through a collaboration between the PSC and the Department of Education (DepEd), while the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is developing new memorandum orders on athlete welfare and safe sport practices, the PSC said.
In addition, the commission also called on National Sports Associations (NSAs) to improve their safeguarding practices to enable safe dialogue with student athletes.
“National Sports Associations (NSAs) are likewise encouraged to strengthen their safeguarding frameworks and designate safeguarding officers so that concerns that emerge in sporting environments can be safely raised, addressed, and resolved. These initiatives lay the groundwork for renewed consideration of the proposed Sports Coaching Act (H.B. 2631),” the PSC wrote.
“We call on all sports stakeholders to support these efforts and to examine, with honesty and resolve, the practices we are willing to accept if sport is truly to build better lives,” the PSC urged.
“The power entrusted to us, the accountability we accept, and the standards we choose to uphold will define the culture of sport that shapes our youth and, ultimately, the kind of nation we become,” it added.
As for the ongoing probe into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Baterbonia and Adili, the sports commission said it backs the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s (CIDG), commending their transparency throughout the process.
“As these investigations endeavor to determine the presence of hazing or acts of negligence in the tragedy, we recognize that these have given rise to uncertainties among sports professionals, particularly those in coaching and team management,” the PSC said.
According to reports, the Baterbonia family have been assured by the CIDG that the agency will persist in their investigation until justice is served for Rene and Adili.
CIDG Director PMGen. Robert Morico II briefed Rene’s parents, Rene Sr. and Rovelyn Baterbonia, as well as their eldest son on the results of the agency’s investigation so far and the status of the case at their headquarters earlier this week.
