Dagupan athletes get incentives for feat in Region 1 meet

DAGUPAN, Philippines – Medalists from the Balon Dagupan contingent received cash gifts from the city government for their performance in the recently held Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) Meet.

Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez handed out the cash gifts of P1,000, P700 and P500 for each gold, silver and bronze medalist, respectively, in ceremonies held March 26 a the Dagupan City People’s Astrodome. Coaches and trainers also received P1,000 each.

Fernandez said she was impressed with the performance of the athletes, pointing out  that if these children are given proper motivation and support, they will make sure that they will do well in sports.

The Balon Dagupan athletes emerged champions in arnis (elementary division, boys and girls category), athletics (secondary division, boys), swimming (elementary division, girls) and basketball (elementary division).

As a result, the city placed first among all other cities and finished fourth overall in the standings among 13 contingents with 76 golds, 58 silvers and 43 bronze medals.

“This is enough reason for us to celebrate, as our performance has improved as compared to the previous years,” said Fernandez, who expressed hope that next year’s R1AA will be another year of achievement for the Balon Dagupan Team.

She assured the athletes of her continuing support under the program Building The Future in Developing Our Excellence in Sports (BTF DOES it).