Baguio Solon Seeks Creation of Sports, Arts High Schools for Talented Students

Baguio Representative Mark Go has filed two bills that seek the creation of specialized sports and arts high schools in Baguio City that will cater to talented youth from Baguio City and nearby municipalities.

Rep. Go filed House Bill (HB) 9386, which aims to create the Baguio City Sports High School in order to train and educate promising students in Baguio City and nearby municipalities and provide them with opportunities to pursue their athletic dreams. The school will offer a sports-focused curriculum complemented with the necessary general academic curriculum in order to cater to young athletes’ needs.

Citing Baguio’s high altitude and presence of several athletic facilities such as the Baguio Athletic Bowl and Baguio Teachers Camp, Rep. Go asserted that the City of Pines remains a popular training location for athletes across the country.

“With added government support, these facilities could further be improved to meet international standards”, Rep. Go added.

Meanwhile, HB 9387 seeks to establish the Baguio City High School for the Arts, in order to nurture young artists’ creative talents and support the city’s long-standing heritage of folk art and crafts. This would support the city’s commitment to upholding its creative and cultural traditions and providing sustainable livelihood to its local artisans.

Home to a bustling creative tourism and artistic community, the City of Pines counts National Artist Benedict “Bencab” Cabrera and famed director Kidlat Tahimik as long-time residents.

Baguio City became the first Philippine city to be inducted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in 2017, which recognizes cities with rich cultural heritage, and that recognize creativity as a major factor in their urban development. According to Rep. Go, a formal academic institution focused on the arts would help ensure long-term sustainability in the creative sector, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Rep. Go added that the school would provide an avenue for talented youth in Baguio and nearby municipalities to hone their skills and foster artistic expression.

“Culture and the arts are essential to the holistic development of society. As such, it is important to inculcate in the youth the value of the arts, to give them an avenue for their creative pursuits, and to introduce them to real-world opportunities in the creative sector”, Rep. Go said. ###