PHL, Brazil sign pact on sports cooperation

The Philippines expects to learn much from Brazil in football and beach volleyball, following the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the sports officials of both countries. Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Ricardo Garcia and Brazil Ministry of Sports Secretary Toninho Nascimento signed the MOU at the Ministry of Sport in Brasilia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. "A key aspect of the cooperation program will be in the form of technical support from Brazil, particularly in the areas of football and beach volleyball. The initial step will involve assessment and consultations by both sides in order to identify needs and requirements," the DFA said. Garcia said the MOU between the PSC and Brazil's Ministry of Sport "will open doors to cooperation between both countries in the area of sports." But for now, he said they need to know first what needs to be done so they can "develop a specific project or program in that area." "Once we have developed a specific proposal or program, we then proceed to implementation in partnership with our Brazilian counterparts," he said. Under the MOU, the Philippines and Brazil will have a framework for sports cooperation through the exchange of expertise in areas including:

• institutional cooperation
• science and technology applied to sports
• sports medicine
• combating doping
• using sports as a tool for social inclusion
• training of sports specialists and practitioners

Meanwhile, the Philippine delegation held a meeting with Brazil's Ministry of Sports and Ministry of External Relations. During the meeting, both sides discussed ways by which the MOU can be implemented. Youth formation Garcia said the Philippines' collaboration with Brazil will focus on high performance training and using sports as a tool for social inclusion. "We would like to concentrate these efforts at the youth levels and the grassroots. Brazil and the Philippines both share the view that sports is a powerful tool in nation-building and an effective mechanism in addressing social issues such as criminality, drugs, gangs, homelessness and out of school youths." Garcia said. The Philippine delegation to Brazil included includes PSC Executive Director Atty. Gillermo Iroy, Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Eva Betita, Director Gines Gallaga of the DFA South America Division and Vice Consul Carlyn Monastrial of the Philippine Embassy in Brasilia. After Brazil, the PSC Technical Mission will proceed Buenos Aires, Argentina.  — ELR, GMA News