A total amount of P10.3 million will be given away to the country’s medal winners in the recently concluded 24th Southeast Asian Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will award the incentives during a formal awards ceremony in Malacañang Palace tomorrow.
Of the total cash, P4,400,001.00 will go to the gold medalists, P4,899,952 will go to the silver medal winners and the rest to the bronze medal winners.
As contained in the Republic Act 9064, a gold medal winner gets P100,000, a silver medalist receives P50,000 and the bronze medalist receives P10,000.
Miguel Molina, the country’s most bemedalled athlete in the Games, and the 24th SEA Games MVP, is poised to receive P350,000, after winning three golds and two silvers in the relay events.
In the case of the men’s basketball who won the gold, each of the player gets P16,666 each while the men’s softball team players get P11,765 each.
Members of the women’s traditional boat race and the women’s basketball who ended up with a bronze get the lowest amount of P 1,666 for a 10-member squad.
New Philippine Sports Commission executive director Fr. Vicente Uy disclosed the information to The FREEMAN yesterday.
Fr. Uy also said that coaches will also receive incentives equivalent to half of the amount the highest medal won by their athletes or athlete. The copy of the list of medalists and corresponding incentives they will be getting, however, didn’t indicate any amount the coaches will receive.
Cebuano athletes get a share of the pie with cyclist Marites Bitbit to take home the biggest incentive among the locals with P120,000 for her gold and two bronzes while trackster Julius Nierras will pocket P102,500 for his gold and bronze medals from the 400m and 4x400m relay.
Antonio Gabica is set to receive P60,000 thousand for his gold in the 9-ball doubles and a bronze in the singles event.
Karateka Noel Espinosa and weightlifter Reynante Briones will get P50,000 each as dancesport athletes Dearlie Gerodias gets P30,000 for a silver and bronze finishes and Lutche Metante with P12,500 for her silver in the women’s team kumite.
Cross-country specialist Nino Surban will pocket P10,000 while Roel Empasis will receive P4,545 a member of the baseball team that won the silver.
Softball players Jasper Cabrera, Joseph Roldan Bacarisas, Oscar Bradshaw, Manuel Bacarisas, Edzel Bacarisas, Dario Bacarisas and Elaine Bacarisas will have a windfall of P11,765 each.
Sepak takraw artists Metodio Suico and Harrison Castañares will go home with P4,000 each for their bronze medals in the men’s hoop competition while karatekas Erlando and Sugar Rey Metante take home P2,857 each for their bronze medals in the men’s kumite.
Fr. Uy further stated that athletes who couldn’t go to the awards ceremony need not worry because the checks had been written in the name of the athlete. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol