President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. created a government body to coordinate efforts in developing and promoting sports tourism.
Marcos, through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, signed Administrative Order No. 38, creating the National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC).
The AO was signed on Oct. 29 but its copy was released only on Monday.
The NST-IAC shall harmonize, coordinate and oversee the development, promotion and implementation of sports tourism initiatives.
These include the bidding for and hosting of strategic, high-level, and high-impact international sporting events, and the facilitation of large-scale domestic sports tourism activities.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairs the committee, with the Department of Tourism (DOT) serving as vice chair.
Members of the NST-IAC include the heads of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), and two private-sector representatives from the tourism industry.
It may invite other concerned government agencies, as well as local government units (LGUs), nongovernment organizations, civil society groups, members of the academe, and other stakeholders as observers and/or resource persons.
The NST-IAC shall advise the President on policies and programs for sports tourism development; identify and pursue bids for international sports events; and formulate marketing strategies to maximize economic and cultural benefits. It is also tasked with overseeing funding and infrastructure planning for sports-related projects; and monitor and evaluate sports tourism initiatives across government agencies.
Through the PSC, the NST-IAC can also enter into contracts, agreements or partnerships with other government agencies or private entities and individuals to support sports tourism projects and activities.
It may also accept donations, contributions, grants, bequests or gifts from domestic or foreign sources.
Funding for the committee’s initial operations will come from the existing budgets of member agencies and government-owned and -controlled corporations, including Tieza and Pagcor, with subsequent allocations to be included in their annual budget proposals.