GMA hikes cash reward for Asiad

With still no gold medal to show after one week of competition, it seems that Malacañang has pressed the panic button by announcing the granting of additional cash incentives for Pinoy medal winners in the ongoing 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella yesterday said he met President Arroyo over dinner Thursday evening at the Palace, and the Chief Executive did not hesitate in granting an additional P500,000 for gold, P300,000 for silver and P200,000 for bronze medalists.

"To boost the spirit of the Filipino athletes in Doha, President Arroyo has approved the recommendation to grant additional incentives in the last week of the ongoing 15th Asian Games," said Puentevella, the president of the RP weightlifting association.

Puentevella arrived with his weightlifters from Doha the other night, and the lawmaker from Bacolod drove straight to Malacañang to present his recommendation for the additional cash incentives that is separate from the one provided under Republic Act 9064.

Under the law, gold medal winners in the Asian Games will receive P1 million, silver medalists P500,000 and bronze winners P100,000. There are different packages reserved for medal winners in the Southeast Asian Games and the Olympics.

Gold medalists in the Olympics stand to receive P5 million from the government, and those in the SEA Games P100,000.

"After playing the role of cheerleader in Qatar this week together with the top officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee led by Peping Cojuangco and the Philippine Sports Commission under Butch Ramirez, I felt the need to boost the morale of our athletes.

"And so I told the athletes that the moment I return home, I will talk to the President regarding the additional incentives. The coordination was made immediately with chairman Efraim Genuino of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation or Pagcor," he said.

Puentevella said the additional cash incentives will be approved and hopefully awarded upon the arrival of the winning athletes in the Asian Games which come to a close on Dec. 15.

Puentevella, also the vice president of the POC, has compared the level of competition in the Asian Games to that of the Olympics. The 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, he said, will be another showcase of the Chinese athletes’ might and power.

Boxer Violito Payla has been assured of a bronze medal while taekwondo jins Veronica Domingo and Kathleen Eunice Alora also captured bronze medals in their side of the competition.

In small, different batches, Filipino athletes who have finished competing, and who have failed to win a medal have returned home from Doha.

Back from the oil-rich emirate and probably licking their wounds are those from judo, shooting, weightlifting and gymnastics. Scheduled to arrive today are athletes from baseball, table tennis, rowing and aquatics.