Manila, April 24 -- The Laguna provincial government kicked off its Summer Sports Development Program in Barangay Canlubang on Friday, training young dribblers under former Philippine Basketball Association stars.

"Sports are important to keep youth on the right path and give them something productive to occupy their time," Governor Sol Aragones said at the opening program.

The launch included the oath-taking of program coaches, who pledged to uphold integrity, dedication and discipline, while nurturing not only skills but also character, teamwork and sportsmanship among young athletes province-wide.

The prgram will include arnis, chess, football, taekwondo, swimming, lawn tennis, pencak silat and karate to identify and develop talent ...