The 2012 Philippine Youth Games of the Batang Pinoy, a venue where the next Manny Pacquiao or Olympian may be discovered, officially opened yesterday in this city.

Batang Pinoy is just one of the many grassroots development programs of the government in search for young Filipino athletes for the Olympics Games and other prestigious international competitions.

Across the nation, particularly almost every barangay has a basketball court, a testament that Filipinos indeed love sports.

So, we aren’t short on passion. In fact, Filipino athletes are known for their dedication, confidence, vigor and enthusiasm.

But, Filipinos do not have the resources necessary for optimum training to make them at par with athletes from developed countries.

In the recent London Olympics, no one from our 11 delegates was able to take home any medal.

Apart from their struggle in facing the giants in sports, they also suffer from their measly allowance and the lack of training gears.

Most feel the government is to blame. Our government officials have given enough words of encouragement but they lack concrete action.

So, if we want our athletes to succeed, the government must provide them the necessary tools and skills to ensure victory.

This is the challenge we throw the government, the Department of Education and the Philippine Sports Commission: take the Filipino athlete to the next level.*