RP SEAG medalists get bonuses before Xmas

As promised by President Arroyo, all Filipino medalists in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, including their respective coaches, will receive their cash incentives from the government before Christmas.

The President, overjoyed by the country’s winning the overall crown in the recent SEA Games, made sure that the P25 million incentive will be in the hands of the victorious athletes and coaches during the holidays.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez yesterday said the President will personally hand out the incentives Dec. 22 when they visit her at Malacañang at 1:30 p.m.

The Philippines won 113 gold, 86 silver and 92 bronze medals to emerge the overall champion for the first time in SEA Games history. The Philippines was fourth in Vietnam in 2003.

Under Republic Act 9064, a gold medal in the SEA Games is worth P100,000, silver P50,000 and bronze P10,000. Their coaches are also entitled to cash incentives under the law.

"To thank them for their efforts, the President has ordered the immediate release of the money because in the past, it has taken some time before they are released," said Ramirez.

"The President wanted our medalists, gold, silver or bronze, to get them before Christmas. For the President, this is just one way of thanking them for giving so much honor to the country," he added.

Around 200 athletes who won the 113 gold medals, including those in team events like softball, baseball and boat races, will fly to Hong Kong today for a three-day holiday courtesy of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

The athletes together with some officials and sponsors will leave for the former British Colony in three batches. The first batch will take a Cebu Pacific flight while the last two will board Philippine Airlines.

The First Gentleman, who helped raise more than P160 million for the training of the SEA Games athletes, will join the trip, the second of three days to be spent at the newly-opened Hong Kong Disneyland.