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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives 
EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA and DOMINGO C. RIVERA 
AN ACT 
GRANTING DISTINCTIVE HONORS AND PRIVILEGES TO 
NATIONAL ATHLETES, CREATING A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT 
FUND FOR SPORTS HEROES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The historic win of Hidilyn Diaz at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo brought 
the Philippines its first-ever Olympic gold medal. But prior to this, she has consistently 
and continuously made the Philippines proud by being the youngest contender at the 
2008 Beijing Olympics at the age of 17, bringing home the Philippines’ first Olympic 
medal in 20 years at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the first gold medal at the 2018 Asian 
Games held in Indonesia, among other accolades.  
At present, the Philippines has won 14 medals in the Olympics: 
a. Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting) – Gold (2020 Tokyo), Silver (2016 Rio);
b. Nesthy Petecio (boxing) – Silver (2020 Tokyo)
c. Carlo Paalam (boxing) – Silver (2020 Tokyo)
d. Eumir Marcial (boxing) – Bronze (2020 Tokyo)
e. Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco (boxing) – Silver (1996 Atlanta);
f.
Roel Velasco (boxing) – Bronze (1992 Barcelona);
g. Leopoldo Serantes (boxing) – Bronze (1988 Seoul);
h. Anthony Villanueva (boxing) – Silver (1964 Tokyo);
i.
Miguel White (athletics) – Bronze (1936 Berlin);
j.
Jose Villanueva (boxing) – Bronze (1932 Los Angeles);
k. Simeon Toribio (athletics) – Bronze (1932 Los Angeles); and
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l.
Teodoro Yldefonso (swimming) – Bronze (1932 Los Angeles), Bronze (1928
Amsterdam).
Behind their achievements are innumerable stories of hard work and 
perseverance. This is no less true with other sports heroes in various disciplines of 
athletics, who have devoted their lives to honing their craft and bringing honor to the 
country. 
Thus, to recognize outstanding athletes who serve as inspiration to countless 
Filipinos in the field of sports, this bill seeks to grant distinctive honors and privileges 
to Filipino sports heroes. The bill also seeks to establish the Hidilyn Diaz Endowment 
Fund, which shall be used to provide lifetime emoluments to National Athletes, as well 
as to support the needs of awardees so they can continue to participate in local as 
well as international sports competitions as Philippine delegates.  
Thus, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
HON. DOMINGO C. RIVERA 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. _____ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representatives 
EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA and DOMINGO C. RIVERA 
AN ACT 
GRANTING DISTINCTIVE HONORS AND PRIVILEGES TO 
NATIONAL ATHLETES, CREATING A NATIONAL ENDOWMENT 
FUND FOR SPORTS HEROES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Bayaning Atletang Pilipino 
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Act." 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to promote 
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excellence in the field of sports and foster the values of sportsmanship, patriotism, and 
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nationalism to support nation-building and development. 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the following terms are 
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hereby defined as follows: 
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a. International sports competition shall refer to international sports
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competitions under the following categories:
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1. Regular major competitions, such as but not limited to, the Summer
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Olympic Games, Winter Olympic Games, Asian Games, Asian Winter
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Games, Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Youth Olympic Games,
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Paralympic Games, Asian Park Games, Asian Indoor and Martial Arts 
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Games, Asian Beach Games, and Association of Southeast Asian 
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Nations (ASEAN) Para Games; 
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2. World-level championships held at least every two (2) years with at least 
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forty-five (45) countries participating by sport; 
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3. Asian-level competitions held at least every two (2) years with at least 
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twenty-five (25) countries participating by sport; and 
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4. Qualifying competitions for World-level games with at least ten (10) 
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countries participating; 
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b. National Academy of Sports or NAS shall refer to the NAS System 
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established under Republic Act No. 11470 or any of its existing or future 
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campuses which aims to provide quality and enhanced secondary 
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education program integrated with a special curriculum on sports. 
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SECTION 4. The Order of National Athletes. – There is hereby established the Order 
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of National Athletes (Orden ng mga Pambansang Atleta) which shall be the highest 
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honor the Government of the Philippines shall confer to its outstanding sports heroes 
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who have brought immense pride and honor to the country and have dedicated their 
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lives towards the advancement of their sports. 
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The Order shall be under the National Orders of Cultural and Scientific Merit 
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pursuant to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Executive Order No. 236, s. 
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2003. It shall be administered by the Komite ng Bayaning Atletang Filipino, otherwise 
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known as the Committee, created under Section 8 of this Act, and conferred by the 
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President of the Philippines upon recommendation by the Committee. 
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Olympic medalists shall automatically be conferred the Order, which shall be 
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retroactive from the effectivity of this Act.  
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Awardees of the Order of National Athletes shall enjoy the following privileges: 
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a. The rank and title of National Athlete, as proclaimed by the President of the 
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Philippines; 
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b. The National Athlete medallion and citation; 
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c. Lifetime emolument and material benefits such as: 
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1. A cash award to be determined by the Committee, net of taxes for living 
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awardees; 
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2. A cash award to be determined by the Committee, net of taxes for 
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posthumous awardees and payable to legal heir/s; 
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3. A monthly life pension and medical and hospitalization benefits; 
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4. Life insurance coverage for awardees who are still insurable; 
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5. A place of honor in state functions, national commemoration 
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ceremonies, and all other sports and cultural events; and 
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6. A state funeral, the arrangements for and the expenses of which shall 
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be borne by the Government upon the death of the National Athlete. 
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SECTION 5. The National Medal of Excellence in Sports. – There is hereby 
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established the National Medal of Excellence in Sports (Pambansang Medalya ng 
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Katangi-tanging Husay sa Isports) for outstanding individual and team achievements 
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in international sports competitions. The President of the Philippines shall confer the 
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National Medal of Excellence in Sports upon recommendation by the Committee. 
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SECTION 6. The Balangay Medal for Sportsmanship. – There is hereby established 
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the Balangay Medal for Sportsmanship (Gawad Balangay) for heroic sportsmanship 
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shown by athletes during international and local competitions exemplifying the values 
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of honesty, fairness, selflessness, sacrifice, amity, and goodwill. The President of the 
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Philippines shall confer the Balangay Medal for Sportsmanship upon recommendation 
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by the Committee. 
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SECTION 7. Coaching Excellence Medal. – There is hereby established the 
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Coaching Excellence Medal (Gabay ng Atletang Pilipino) for coaches who have gone 
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above and beyond in nurturing athletes to reach their full potential and lead the team 
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to victory in international sports competitions. The President of the Philippines shall 
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confer the Coaching Excellence Medal upon recommendation by the Committee. 
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SECTION 8. Priority of Awardees and/or their Dependents in the National 
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Academy of Sports Scholarship. – Awardees under this Act shall have the option 
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and priority to enroll, on a full-scholarship basis, in the National Academy of Sports 
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System Main Campus or any regional nationally-funded high schools for sports. In 
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case the awardee has completed his/her secondary education, or in the case of a 
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posthumous awardee, his/her legal heir may be prioritized in the entry into the National 
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Academy of Sports or any regional nationally-funded high school for sports, subject to 
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the requirements and qualifications as may be set by the NAS or the high school 
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concerned.  
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SECTION 9. Komite ng Bayaning Atletang Filipino. – The Committee shall be under 
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the Office of the President. The Committee shall be composed of the following: 
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a. Chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), as Chairman; 
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b. Secretary of the Department of Education or an authorized representative, 
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as Member; 
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c. Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education or an authorized 
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representative, as Member; 
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d. President of the Philippine Olympic Committee or an authorized 
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representative, as Member; 
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e. Chairperson of the Athletes' Commission or an authorized representative, 
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as Member; 
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f. 
Chairperson of the National Youth Commission or an authorized 
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representative, as Member; and, 
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g. Chairperson of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines or an 
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authorized representative, as Member. 
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SECTION 10. Role and Function of the Komite ng Bayaning Atletang Pilipino. – 
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The Committee shall approve the criteria, standards, nomination and selection 
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processes, and benefits and privileges of the recipients of the awards under this Act. 
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The Committee shall likewise be the administrator of the Hidilyn Diaz 
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Endowment Fund for Sports Heroes. 
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SECTION 11. Hidilyn Diaz Endowment Fund for Sports Heroes. – There is hereby 
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established a Hidilyn Diaz Endowment Fund for Sports Heroes to exclusively fund the 
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benefits provided in this Act and support the continuous training of all the awardees 
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and their participation or exposure in international sports competitions. 
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a. The amount of One Billion Pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated 
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as seed money of the Endowment Fund; Provided, That no grant shall be 
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awarded by the Committee except from the interest drawn from the Fund; 
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Provided, further, that no grant shall be awarded until after one (1) year from 
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the organization of the Fund; 
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b. The private portion of the Fund shall be raised from the donations and other 
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conveyances by gratuitous title, including funds, materials, property, and 
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services,; 
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c. Contribution to the Fund shall be deductible for income tax purposes in 
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accordance with Section 34 (h)(2)(a) of the National Internal Revenue Code; 
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d. For the sound and judicious management of the Fund, the Committee shall 
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appoint a reputable government-accredited investment institution as Fund 
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Manager, subject to guidelines promulgated by the Committee and applicable 
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government auditing and accounting rules; 
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e. The Committee shall be the administrator of the Fund and shall prepare the 
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implementing guidelines and decision-making mechanisms, subject to the 
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following: 
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1. Unless otherwise stipulated by the private donor, only earnings of private 
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contributions shall be used; 
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2. No part of the seed capital of the Fund, including earnings thereof, shall be 
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used to underwrite overhead expenses for administration; 
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3. The Committee shall organize a separate staff to be headed by a 
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comptroller appointed by and directly responsible and accountable to the 
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Committee; and 
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4. The Fund shall be audited annually by an independent external auditor or 
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the Commission on Audit, as may be appropriate. 
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SECTION 12. Existing Incentives, Benefits, and Privileges. – The incentives, 
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benefits, and privileges provided under this Act shall not diminish or affect existing 
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incentives, benefits, and privileges provided in existing laws. 
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SECTION 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The Committee shall 
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promulgate the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) within ninety (90) days from 
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the effectivity of this Act. 
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SECTION 
13. 
Appropriations. 
– 
The 
amount 
of 
One 
Billion 
Pesos 
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(P1,000,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated to serve as seed money for the Hidilyn 
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Diaz Endowment Fund for Sports Heroes as provided in Section 11 of this Act. The 
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amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged against 
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the current year's appropriations of the PSC. Thereafter, such appropriations 
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necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General 
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Appropriations Act. 
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SECTION 14. Separability. – If any provision or part of this Act is declared invalid or 
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unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall continue to be in 
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full force and effect. 
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SECTION 15. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, and administrative 
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orders, or parts thereof that are inconsistent with any provision of this Act are hereby 
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repealed or amended accordingly. 
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SECTION 16. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved,
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