SMART to provide P2M support to Leyte LSA

TACLOBAN CITY – SMART Communication through their program SMART Sports promised to provide P 2 million as support to the program of the provincial government of Leyte to develop and enhance Leyte’s youth sports ability.

This amount was the outcome of recent meeting of Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla and SMART Communication President Manny Pangilinan and will be provided to the provincial government for two years.

But this is still subject for negotiations, according to Governor Petilla in his talk with the mayors, provincial board members and department heads of the province in the recent Provincial Development Council meeting held at the Governor’s Hall of Leyte Capitol.

“Leyte Sports Academy is the only facility in the country that they find to be provided with fund,” Governor Petilla said, citing its continuous function after it was rehabilitated for the Palarong Pambansa 2009 by training young athletes of the province.

“But what I hope is they fund it like what they did to the boxing arena in Misamis,” Petilla said.

“We are trying to get more, because the idea here is for the province not to spend more for the program,” Petilla added.

In order to get the funding from the telecommunication company, Governor Petilla said that athletes of LSA must perform well by producing more medals in every competition which in recent sports event participated by athletes of LSA most of the kids are able to grab medals particularly gold.

LSA is not just a facility for youth sports enhancement and development but also a facility for their academic performance.

Athletes of LSA are given full scholarship by the provincial government and are taking their academic class within the facility but enrolled in schools in their respective municipalities.

At present around 70 athletes are now enrolled in LSA mostly with an operating expense of P6 million since it started in 2009 and around P8 million budget for 2012 as the LSA management targets 100 scholars for next year.

Aside from the up-coming supports from SMART Communication, Governor Petilla said that Manny Pangilinan had already donated boxing gloves to LSA boxing athletes.

Petilla added that they are also forming a team that will seek help from big companies like Adidas and Nike, to provide LSA athletes uniforms and shoes to lessen expenses of the provincial government.