Senator Christopher Lawrence Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, vowed to gather financial support for young basketball stars after he hosted a “meet-and-greet” for the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s Under-18 basketball team in his Senate office.
The country’s Under-18 team recently crushed team Lebanon with a decisive 95-64 victory on June 30 at the Futian Sports Park in China to bag the championship title.
Go noted that the win propelled Gilas Women’s U-18 from Division B to Division A. He also plans to gather more financial support for each player and coach, who was part of the Gilas Women’s U-18 team.
The senator was instrumental in securing financial support for the various initiatives and programs of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) through the Philippine Sports Commission.
During the Senate gathering, Go expressed his admiration and support for the young athletes, highlighting the resilience and indomitable spirit that typify Filipino competitors. He is confident that the women’s U-18 team is capable of reaching elite status.
“Our players are fighting although we are smaller and shorter,” said Go, who emphasized that Filipinos have larger hearts than their rivals. He reaffirmed his commitment to supporting more Filipino athletes and teams.
Go cited the role of sports in steering youth away from negative influences and promoting health and fitness. He has been a proactive advocate for sports development, taking significant legislative actions to support young athletes and integrate sports into national development.
The senator and sports advocate played a crucial role in the establishment of the National Academy of Sports (NAS) by authoring and co-sponsoring Republic Act No. 11470, located in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac.
NAS combines secondary education with a sports-focused curriculum, providing a dual path for student-athletes to excel in sports and academics.