Proposed 'Lydia De Vega Act' To Provide Gov’t Career Path For Athletes
The measure shall be named after the late Lydia de Vega, who became Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s, to “commemorate her memory and legacy in the hopes that she will inspire the younger generation to strive for excellence.”
A member of the House of Representatives is proposing a legislation, to be known as the Lydia de Vega Act of 2022, to provide a “government career path” for national athletes and coaches.
Authored by Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Alfred delos Santos, House Bill 4654 shall give national athletes and coaches the “option to be employed as regular employees by the government.”
The measure shall be named after the late Lydia de Vega, who became Asia’s fastest woman in the 1980s, to “commemorate her memory and legacy in the hopes that she will inspire the younger generation to strive for excellence.”
De Vega succumbed to cancer last Aug. 10.
Under the bill, qualified national athletes and coaches shall receive the benefits that regular employees in the civil service are entitled to.
They shall also get monthly a P3,000 Priority Athlete Benefit and Government Service Insurance System membership for their retirement.
The measure also allows the athletes and coaches to continue as brand ambassadors and endorsers while they serve in the government.
The funding necessary to implement the bill will be part of the annual general appropriations, securing the salaries and benefits of the country’s modern-day national heroes.
