Lining’s winning shot worth P1.5-M

BUSAN, South Korea — When Antonio Lining stood over the cue ball and rolled the No. 9 in, that shot was worth P1.5 million.

But at that precise moment and in the media interviews that later ensued, it was the thought of winning the gold, not the monetary incentive that went with it, that was foremost in his mind.

"Para sa bayan," said Lining.

But the hard fact is that the shot was worth P1.5 million and probably more if President Arroyo decides to sweeten up the pot for Filipino gold medalists when they get back home.

The Philippine Sports Commission has so far allotted P4.6 million out of the P20 million incentive fund put up by Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for the 11 medals won by the Filipinos in the current Asian Games here. In all, they were to receive P6,650,000 including cash rewards from corporate backer Samsung Electronics.

Team Philippines has won two gold, three silver and six bronze medals so far with the teams of Django Bustamante and Antonio Lining and Paeng Nepomuceno and RJ Bautista taking the lion share with their gold medal finishes.

Nepomuceno and Bautista ruled the men’s doubles in bowling and Bustamante and Lining topped the nine-ball doubles. They are to receive P1 million per team from the government and P500,000 from Samsung. A big gainer was bowling’s five-player team of Liza Clutario, Liza del Rosario, Irene Garcia Benitez, Jo Canare and Ces Yap which was to receive P1 million for finishing second in their event at the Busan Homeplus Asiad lanes.

Under the incentive scheme, the individual and teams of two and three medal winners will receive P1 million for gold, P500,000 for silver and P100,000 for bronze. Samsung is to earmark P500,000 for gold, P250,000 for silver and P50,000 for bronze.

But in the rules and regulations of dispensing awards and incentives by the government, a team of five or more were to get P2 million for the gold, P1 million for the silver and P500,000 for the bronze.

"It’s a token of appreciation from the government and Samsung for their achievements in the Asian Games," said PSC chair Eric Buhain, adding that the President might add some amount from her funds.

There were earlier moves to award the incentives immediately after the event where an RP athlete or athletes would medal but PAGCOR chair Ephraim Genuino, who was here in the early days of the Asiad, decided to give them in appropriate ceremonies later.

The other silver medalists were bowling’s three-man team of CJ Suarez, Botchok Rey and Chester King and Warren Kiamco in billiards’ nine-ball singles.

The bronze medalists were Bata Reyes in billiards eight-ball singles, Clutario in the women’s singles in bowling, ladies golf team of Ria Quiazon, Heidi Chua and Carmelette Villaroman, rowers Alvin Amposta and Nestor Cordova, and shooting’s Jethro Dionisio in the trap and his team with Eric Ang, and Jaime Recio in the trap men event.

The dual medalists so far were Clutario, bronze in the women’s singles and a member of the five-player and Dionisio in individual and team trap events.