By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
When it rains, it pours.
That’s holds true for Filipino athletes who won medals in the recent 31st Southeast Asian Games after the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) announced Friday that it will also hand out a total of P11 million in cash bonuses.
According to the POC, gold medals are worth P100,000 while silver and bronze are P30,000 and P10,000, respectively.
The incentives are appropriately calibrated in team events and will be deposited directly to the athletes’ bank accounts.
This means that two-time world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo will pocket around P550,000 for winning five gold and two silver medals.
Counting his bonus from Philippine Sports Commission which President Duterte doubled last Wednesday, Yulo stand to receive P3,750,000.
Double gold medalists Rubilen Amit, Kim Mangrobang and Merwin Tan will get P200,000 each, while the dancesport pair of Sean Mischa Aranar and Ana Leonila, who won three gold medals, will equally split the total P300,000 bonus.
“The POC will always recognize the efforts of the athletes who trained, prepared and fought hard in Vietnam despite the circumstances,” Tolentino said.
“We may not have retained the overall championship, but what we saw in Vietnam was a fighting Team Philippines.”
Tolentino said the incentives were made possible by the POC’s partners—Manuel V. Pangilinan’s MVP Sports Foundation, Ramon S. Ang’s San Miguel Corp. and Charlie Gonzales’ Ulticon Builders Inc.
The bonuses came a few days after medalists paid a courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace and were also rewarded of cash incentives under the law.
President Duterte even doubled the incentives they received where every gold, silver and bronze medal are worth P300,000, P100,000 and P60,000 under the Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act.
There were 227 medalists in the Vietnam SEAG.
