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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 702 
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution recognizes the role of sports in fostering nationalism, 
social transformation and human development (Section 17, Article II). In his 
speech during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Palarong Pambansa, President 
Rodrigo Duterte echoed this notion and told student-athletes that competing 
in the Palaro beckons “the beginning of your greater participation in nation-
building.” “Your ability to balance academics and other interests measures 
your aptitude for skills such as multi-tasking, time management and decision-
making – skills that you will need as you take on greater responsibilities in the 
future,” the President said.1 
Indeed, the discipline and diligence that balancing academics and athletics 
requires and instills in the youth prepare them for a successful career as athletes 
or sports and fitness professionals. It is critical therefore to provide an enabling 
environment for young Filipinos with athletic potential to develop the skills 
and values necessary to become great athletes who bring honor to our country. 
The recently signed Republic Act No. 11470 provides for this enabling 
environment, creating the National Academy of Sports (NAS) System to 
establish high school campuses around the country with world-class sports 
facilities offering free education and training for student-athletes. The flagship 
campus will be located in the New Clark City Sports Complex in Tarlac, the 
site of the 30th Southeast Asian Games last year. 
The next NAS campus to rise should be in the Visayas. And there is no better 
location for a high school for sports in Visayas than Negros Occidental. 
Negros Occidental is hosting the Palarong Pambansa for the sixth time in 2021, 
holding the record of hosting the most number of Palaro events.2 Negros 
1 https://pcoo.gov.ph/news_releases/president-duterte-opens-palarong-pambansa-2018/ 
2 https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066544 
July 1, 2025
8:04 am


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Occidental athletes have also made a name for themselves in international and 
national sports competitions. 
Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, a native of Bago City, Negros Occidental, earned 
the country a silver medal in boxing in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, 
while his elder brother Roel had won a bronze medal also in boxing in the 1992 
Olympic Games in Barcelona.  
Athletes from Negros Occidental, led by 2016 Rio Olympian Roden Ladon (also 
a Bago City native), also scored medals in the 30th SEA Games. Ladon had won 
a silver medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Sander 
Severino from Silay City won two golds in chess in the 2018 Asian Para Games 
hosted also by Indonesia.   
Meanwhile, Negrosanon student-athletes have shined in the Palarong 
Pambansa. In the 2019 Palarong Pambansa, Bacolod City’s Trexie dela Torre 
and Jamela de Asis set new record highs in long jump and shot put, 
respectively, and Silay’s Alexi Cabayaran broke a five-year record in 
swimming (200-meter freestyle).3 Negros Occidental is consistently among top 
performing provinces in the Palaro; in 2019, Negrosanon athletes bagged a total 
of 79 medals – 28 gold, 17 silver, and 34 bronze medals. 
An NAS campus in Negros Occidental will cultivate the talent of young 
Negrosanons to become accomplished professional athletes and raise Filipino 
pride. But perhaps more importantly, a dedicated sports program, with a 
strong values formation component, will divert young people from vices that 
would otherwise occupy their time and attention.  
In view of the foregoing, the enactment of this measure is earnestly sought. 
JAVIER MIGUEL L. BENITEZ 
3 https://dailyguardian.com.ph/wv-athletes-win-gold-shatter-palaro-records/ 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 702 
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A HIGH SCHOOL FOR SPORTS IN THE 
MUNICIPALITY OF ENRIQUE B. MAGALONA, PROVINCE OF 
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL TO BE KNOWN AS THE NEGROS 
OCCIDENTAL 
HIGH 
SCHOOL 
FOR 
SPORTS 
AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Establishment of the Negros Occidental High School for 
Sports. – There is hereby established a high school for sports in the 
Municipality of Enrique B. Magalona, Province of Negros Occidental to be 
known as the “Negros Occidental High School for Sports,” hereinafter referred 
to as the “School”. 
The School shall be integrated into the National Academy of Sports (NAS) 
System and supervised by the Department of Education (DepEd), in close 
coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), subject to the 
provisions of Republic Act No. 11470. 
SEC. 2. Objectives. — The School shall offer a special secondary 
education curriculum to develop the skills of talented youth in different sports, 
and produce successful athletes and sports and fitness professionals. The 
School shall instill discipline, diligence, teamwork, excellence and integrity in 
its students. 
SEC 3. Admission. – Notwithstanding the provision of Section 8 (i) of 


 
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Republic Act No. 11470, no student shall be admitted to the School unless 
he/she is a bona fide resident of the Province of Negros Occidental.  
 
SEC. 4. Academics-Athletics Balance. To ensure both academic and 
athletic excellence of student athletes, the School shall: 
 
a) adopt flexible learning methods; 
b) grant stipends, allowances and other financial assistance; and, 
c) provide mentoring and mental health support.  
 
SEC. 5. School Director. The School shall be headed by a School Director 
who shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees of the NAS System. The Board 
shall determine the term and compensation of the School Director, pursuant to 
Section 8 (d) of Republic Act No. 11470.  
 
The School Director shall be responsible for the administration and operation 
of the School, and perform the functions determined by the Board. The School 
Director may create consultative bodies to provide guidance in the formulation 
of policies and activities of the School.  
 
SEC. 6. Appropriations. The initial funding for the operations of the 
School shall be charged against the current appropriations of DepEd. 
Thereafter, the amount needed for the implementation of this Act shall be 
included in the annual General Appropriations Act.  
 
SEC. 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Department of 
Education, in coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission and other 
stakeholders, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations within ninety 
(90) days from the effectivity of this Act. 
 
SEC. 8. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the 
other provisions hereof. 
 
SEC. 9. Repealing Clause. All other laws, decrees, executive orders and 
rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act 
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 10. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,