PSC physiology chief named PH sports academy director

PSC Medical Scientific Athletes Services head Prof. Josephine Joy Reyes. From Reyes' Facebook account

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The woman in charge of the Philippine Sports Commission's physiology department will lead the new National Academy for Sports.

On Tuesday, the PSC announced that Josephine Reyes will be the NAS's founding executive director.

Reyes has been part of the PSC's medical scientific athletes services for 27 years already, and behind her, the PSC put up the Sports Mapping Action Research Talent Identification system.

She got the nod from a list of people known as experts in grassroots and youth sports.

“The reason why my heart is in this field and in PSC is because ang passion ko nasa atleta. Naging atleta rin ako ng national team (my passion is on the athletes. I was once an athlete for the national team). I’m really on the side of development, looking at their progress and performance,” Reyes said.

Following her appointment, she acknowledged the tall task ahead of her.

"I know it’s gonna be a big task because remember, this is not just a simple department. It’s not a simple unit but we are talking about a school system," Reyes continued.

On the other hand, PSC chairman Butch Ramirez expressed gladness that someone from his agency was chosen as NAS's first executive director.

“It is an honor on the PSC’s part that someone who has been in the field of sports for so long with the PSC and helped in the development of grassroots sports will take a key role in NAS. As the future home of our budding sportsmen, it will help that the executive director is brilliant, competent, and with good character,” expressed Ramirez.

Ramirez is part of NAS's board of trustees alongside education secretary Leonor Briones, Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino, and Commission on Higher Education chairman Popoy de Vera.

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