MANILA – The country's taekwondo jins will be getting a new home soon, as the Philippine Sports Commission continues its development of training facilities.
Following the renovation of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Courts, the PSC has broken ground on the new National Taekwondo Center inside the historic complex.
During the groundbreaking ceremony of the new facility, PSC Chairman Patrick Gregorio said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has started to remit its share to the PSC.
According to the recent Supreme Court ruling, both the PAGCOR and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) must fully remit 5% of its gross earnings to PSC, under Republic Act No. 6847.
"Yesterday, PAGCOR started remitting its 5% share to the Philippine Sports Commission. Nagsimula na po yan kahapon. Tuloy-tuloy na po yan, buwan-buwan, tuloy-tuloy na po yan," Gregorio said during the groundbreaking ceremony held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Thursday.
"This is what it's all about. The funds, the blessings we get, we now turn over right away and work with the NSAs [national sports associations] to make sure that they get world-class facilities," he added.
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In 2016, then Pampanga First District Rep. Yeng Guiao filed a petition before the high court to compel the PAGCOR and PCSO to remit billions of pesos to the PSC as mandated by the law.
The new training center will be built on the site of the old PSC Bowling Center, aiming to house more than 100 taekwondo jins training at the same time.
The facility will be 1,000 square meters with two floors to accommodate bleachers with 900 seating capacity, four international-sized competition courts, offices, conference rooms, coaches area and an athletes' lounge.
"After 20 years, our dream to have a new training center will soon be a reality. Thank you to the Philippine Sports Commission for spearheading the birth of the National Taekwondo Center, which aligns with our vision for Philippine taekwondo," Philippine Taekwondo Association President Rafael Alunan III said.
"With this new taekwondo center, we can host more international tournaments and give exposure to our national athletes. The shift will surely open up great opportunities for our sports and for our athletes," Gregorio added.
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Alunan vowed to continue strengthening its grassroots program and producing champions, since the site used to be where bowling icons Paeng Nepomuceno and Bong Coo trained in the past.
"With a new home and world-class facilities, the PTA will now be able to elevate its national team and the national training pool to the desired level of local competitiveness," he shared.
"This center once produced world champions in bowling. We will faithfully continue the tradition of producing world champions," Alunan pointed out.
Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Tachiana Mangin expressed gratitude for the development, which she said will be a big help for her and fellow athletes.
"Nagpapasalamat po kami na binigyan niyo po kami ng blessing, ganitong opportunity. Mas na-inspire kami, na-motivate na mas mag-training ng maigi at manalo ng more competitions," she said.
The new national training center will not be limited to taekwondo, but may be used by other martial arts and combat sports.
The PSC chief said the bowling center will be transferred to New Clark City in Tarlac, after the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) committed space for a 40-lane bowling alley.
"I have no plans of stopping and making sure we develop Rizal [Memorial Sports Complex], Philsports, Baguio, and Philippine sports all over the country," Gregorio said.
The new National Taekwondo Center is expected to be finished by December 2026.