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MANILA – In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has opened its track and field facilities to the public to encourage Filipinos to live an active lifestyle.
Starting Tuesday, Filipinos can use the PSC facilities in Manila, Pasig, and Baguio for free.
The PSC released an advisory on its official Facebook page on Tuesday, inviting the public to use its facilities.
"Tuloy po kayo. The PSC track and field facilities in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (Malate), the Philippine Sports Arena Complex (Pasig) and PSC Baguio (Teachers Camp) are now open to the public, free of charge from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily,” the post read.
"Kindly note that we are still fine-tuning our operations, but we are happy to welcome you all back to the tracks," it further stated.
When asked about the possibility of opening a morning time slot, the PSC said this is not possible due to national athletes using the facilities.
"Various national teams regularly train po in the morning, so the hours were adjusted to maintain optimal training conditions for them," it said in response to a comment.
Marcos Jr. made the announcement during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
READ: PSC tasked to open track ovals to encourage Filipinos to be more active
The move is part of his administration's efforts to promote an active lifestyle among Filipinos, aside from sports fests and fun runs.
"Nakikita natin ang sobrang pagtaas ng timbang ng ating mga kababayang edad 20 at pataas. Kaya sikapin nating maging mas aktibo ang ating pamumuhay araw-araw," Marcos said during his SONA.
"Ipalaganap natin ang pagsasagawa ng mga palaro at mga paliga, mga fun runs at fun walks, pati na rin mga pa-aerobics at pa-Zumba," he added.
The chief executive likewise tasked local government units to open their parks and plazas to provide their constituents venues to exercise.
Marcos Jr. said they will implement 'car-free Sundays' programs in other parts of the country similar to existing ones in several Metro Manila cities.