PSC boosts SEAG gold incentive to P.2 million

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping yesterday sweetened the pot for Filipino athletes who will win the gold in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos in December.

Angping has dangled another P100,000 for every gold. This will be on top of the P100,000 gold medalists will get from the government under Republic Act 9064, also known as the incentives act.

Under the law, a silver medal is worth P50,000 and bronze P10,000. But Angping’s offer will only cover the gold medal winners, adding that the money will come directly from the PSC coffers.

“Granting that we win 50 gold medals in Laos, that will be a total of P5 million. I’m ready with the budget. This is the first time the PSC is giving out this kind of an incentive,” said the PSC chief.

Angping said from this day, the 153 athletes who were chosen to represent the country in Laos will be considered gold medal potentials, and will be funded, trained and fed like never before.

“This is war. Our athletes are going to war so they must be properly equipped. I told my staff to nurture them, take care of them like they are your brothers, sisters, sons and daughters,” said Angping.

Angping, however, hoped that the number that was agreed upon between him and RP Team chef de mission and Philippine Olympic Committee second vice president Mario Tanchangco the other day is final.

Yesterday, the POC said the number – 153 athletes and 47 officials – is not final, and Tanchangco said he met with Angping and PSC commissioner Jose Mundo only as an observer.

Tanchangco said his work as chef de mission only starts in Laos and ends with the closing ceremony.

Insiders said he is being pressured by other POC officials to state that he was at Wednesday’s meeting only as an observer and not an official POC representative.

The POC had wanted a bigger delegation of at least 280 athletes and more than 100 officials, while the PSC said it could only fund 130 athletes.

Angping said when he met with Tanchangco, he agreed to fund 153, which is more than what he wanted.

“The POC should respect Mario Tanchangco as chef de mission. It’s a slap on Mario’s face if the POC says he was not representing the POC. Besides, that number was a product of a series of meetings between Mario and Joey Mundo. We did not just pull it from nowhere,” said Angping.

The PSC has created a special team to monitor and look after the athletes as they train and prepare for the SEA Games set Dec. 9 to 18, and whatever the athletes need, Angping said, they will be provided.

Angping said he plans to meet the athletes once every week to make him fully aware of any development. On top of their P15,000 monthly allowance, the athletes will get an additional P2,500 each on Oct. 30, Nov. 15 and Nov. 30.

And once they get to Laos, they will receive $30 a day depending on their duration of stay, plus an extra pocket money of $100. Angping said he can even shell out more like $100 each time an athlete advances to the finals.

“This has never been done before. And this is now a commitment on the part of the PSC. Let’s forget about past projections. From now on, we will look at these 153 athletes as potential gold medalists,” said Angping.