The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) hailed President Marcos for putting his stamp of approval on the creation of the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC) through Administrative Order 38.
The President has mandated the NST-IAC to ‘harmonize, coordinate, and oversee all government initiatives to develop, promote, and sustain sports tourism in the country.’
Under Administrative Order No. 38, which was signed by the President on Oct. 29, PSC chief Patrick ‘Pato’ Gregorio will serve as chairman of the NST-IAC with his counterparts from the Department of Tourism (DOT) as vice-chairperson; and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) as members.
Gregorio cited the NST-IAC as ‘an invaluable recognition of how sports can enable the youth, enable regional development, enable tourism and enable new industries.’
The PSC chief emphasized, ‘We understand our role. We are enablers. Whether it’s working with DepEd for grassroots development or with the DOT for sports tourism, sports will be a key catalyst and driver of the national agenda.’
Gregorio said the President, an avid sportsman and the biggest supporter of the Filipino athlete, has recognized the hosting of major international sports events as a perfect avenue to promote the country before a global audience.