The Philippine Sports Commission is accelerating efforts to professionalize coaching in the country following the deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, with the agency highlighting the rollout of its Coach Developer Academy as a key step toward strengthening athlete welfare and safe sport practices.
In a joint statement released by the Sports Stakeholders’ Panel, the group expressed support for the ongoing investigations into the Aurora tragedy while reaffirming its commitment to raising coaching standards and safeguarding athletes across all levels of Philippine sports.
The panel is composed of the Philippine Sports Commission, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education, and the National Youth Commission.
“The Sports Stakeholders’ Panel expresses its support for the process being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and is grateful for its diligent and sustained pursuit of the truth in the Aurora tragedy that claimed the lives of two student-athletes, Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. We likewise commend the transparency of the CIDG’s public updates and respect its steadfast adherence to due process throughout the investigation. We also support the ongoing proceedings of the Commission on Higher Education in evaluating institutional oversight under CHED Memorandum Order No. 63, s. 2017,” the panel said.
The group acknowledged that the investigations have raised concerns among coaches, trainers, and team managers over the fine line between demanding athletic excellence and ensuring the safety and well-being of student-athletes.
(C) Julius Domondon
“As these investigations endeavor to determine the presence of hazing or acts of negligence in the tragedy, we recognize that these have given rise to uncertainties among sports professionals, particularly those in coaching and team management. Many sports demand discipline, rigorous physical conditioning, and mental fortitude. Coaches and team managers therefore bear the dual responsibility of pushing athletes to excel while exercising sound judgment and safeguarding them from harm, abuse, exploitation, and competing interests that compromise athlete-centered training in pursuit of profit or power,” the statement read.
To address these concerns, the panel emphasized the need for higher professional standards in coaching through continuing education, mandatory certifications, basic life support training, clearer operational guidelines, and stronger safeguarding measures.
“We reiterate our strong commitment to professionalizing coaching and team management through higher standards, continuous education, mandatory certifications (including basic life support training), clearer operational guidelines, and robust safeguarding measures across all sports environments. Properly designed and implemented, these reforms will protect both athletes and coaches, reinforce ethical and professional practice, and strengthen public trust in sport,” it added.
Central to those reforms is the PSC’s Coach Developer Academy, which has already begun preparing coach developers who will eventually train and certify coaches under the proposed National Sports Coaching Certification Program.
“The Philippine Sports Commission has already begun this work through the Coach Developer Academy, which prepares coach developers who will train and certify coaches under the forthcoming National Sports Coaching Certification Program. This initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Department of Education, while CHED develops new Memorandum Orders on athlete welfare and safe sport. National Sports Associations are likewise encouraged to strengthen their safeguarding frameworks and designate safeguarding officers so that concerns that emerge in sporting environments can be safely raised, addressed, and resolved. These initiatives lay the groundwork for renewed consideration of the proposed Sports Coaching Act (H.B. 2631),” the panel said.
The Sports Stakeholders’ Panel concluded by urging the country’s sporting community to support reforms that prioritize athlete welfare while fostering accountability throughout Philippine sports.
“We call on all sports stakeholders to support these efforts and to examine, with honesty and resolve, the practices we are willing to accept if sport is truly to build better lives. The power entrusted to us, the accountability we accept, and the standards we choose to uphold will define the culture of sport that shapes our youth and, ultimately, the kind of nation we become,” it said.
