MARCOS VETOES BILL INSTITUTIONALIZING PHILIPPINE NATIONAL GAMES

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vetoed the proposed law that sought to institutionalize and expand the Philippine National Games (PNG).

“The establishment of a national sports program will immensely benefit the country, particularly in the creation of a pool of national athletes. However, while I acknowledge the noble intention of the authors, I feel that the bill may duplicate the efforts and funding for the national sports program instead of its perceived benefits,” Marcos said in his veto message sent to Congress.

The President cited Republic Act 10588, or the Palarong Pambansa Act of 2013, which aims to promote physical education and encourage sports programs and competitions, including training for international events, in order to foster self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence.

Further, the President said that the measure’s provision for the creation of the PNG Board as a policy-making and coordinating body for the preparation and conduct of the PNG is already similar to Section 8 of RA 10588, which provides for the Palarong Pambansa Board as the lead policy-making and coordinating body for the preparation of the Palarong Pambansa.

“Hence, the proposed creation of the PNG Board will create functional duplication, leadership confusion, and inefficiency,” Marcos said.

Further, the Chief Executive said that the proposed P1 million appropriation for the PNG is inconsistent with the legislative function of the budget authorization process through the enactment of an appropriation.

“As a policy, the funding of programs and projects, such as national sports programs , should be subject to the usual budgeting process and congressional authorization, which take into account the availability of resources, estimated funding requirements vis-a-vis expected output, sustainability, and budgetary priorities,” Marcos said.

“As such, pursuant to Section 27(1), Article 6 of the 1987 Constitution, I am constrained to veto the enrolled Senate Bill No. 2514/House Bill No. 8468, titled An Act Expanding and Institutionalizing PNG and Appropriating Funds Therefore,” he said. — VBL, GMA Integrated News

  

This article Marcos vetoes bill institutionalizing Philippine National Games was originally published in GMA News Online.

2025-01-22T13:12:59Z