Before the 2019 Southeast Asian
Games would begin, as various sports venues in Luzon were preparing at fever
pace, particularly in New Clark City, there were concerned voices regarding the
state of preparedness for the athletes representing the country. The
Philippines was host after all. Some were worried that certain competitors and
teams were not getting funding for uniforms and equipment. And still some were
curious if the government still has something to give if the nation’s sportsmen
won any medals this December. Now the SEA Games are over and despite some
major-event-disappointments, the Philippines topped the medal count. Now the
athletes await their reward.
And President Rodrigo Duterte is
not going to ruin Christmas for Filipino national sportsmen and women as CNN Philippines tells it. It certainly
would not happen after the impressive medal haul the host country pulled off in
the 2019 SEA Games from November 30 to December 11. Philippine athletes that
win medals for the country during the biennial regional multi-sporting event
meet are covered by R.A. 10699 with regards to incentives: P300,000 for winning
a gold medal, P150,000 for silver, and P60,000 for bronze. And there are plenty
of SEA Games medalists to award to.
But that is not all. President
Duterte has also earlier announced that these cash incentives will be increased
for the SEA Games Filipino medal-winners. Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)
chairperson Butch Ramirez revealed that the additional amounts to the basic
R.A. 10699 incentives are as follows: P250,000 for all gold medalists, P150,000
for silver, and P100,00 for the bronze medal awardees. And that does not even
include more awards to be given out by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC);
after all, some of these medalists are also qualified to compete next year at
the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
In order to make such a generous
reward to the hardships of the Philippine athletes in the recently-concluded
Southeast Asian Games feasible, members of the Lower House of Congress even
made a pledge back in December 5 that they will donate a portion of their
respective salaries for January 2020, in order to form an additional P10
million in funds for the bonus incentives that President Rodrigo Duterte has
promised. Such an action was understandable, considering at the time it was becoming
clear that the host nation was winning lots of medals. The total count at the
end of the SEA Games: 149 gold medals, 117 silver, and 121 bronze.
The proud and happy SEA Games
medalists will be calling on the President at the Malacañang Palace next week on
December 18, where Duterte will present them their well-earned incentives.
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