National athletes, coaches to get P10,000 Christmas bonus

MANILA, Philippines – National athletes and coaches will have a very merry holiday season as they stand to receive P10,000 each as Christmas bonus from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

No less than PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez bared the good news Monday, saying national team members deserve the gratuity for a successful year highlighted by the country’s historic Tokyo Olympics feat amid the pandemic.

“It’s the government’s way of saying thank you to our athletes and coaches for a job well done,” said Ramirez.

Truly, the year produced many highs including the feat of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz delivering the country’s breakthrough Olympic gold medal in the Tokyo Games last August.

It was also the most productive performance by far by the country in the quadrennial event as it also raked in a couple of silvers and a bronze courtesy of boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial, respectively.

PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez, who is also the country’s chef-de-mission in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games set in May next year, for his part, said he expects all the national teams to resume training on January 10 at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig.

“We’ve instructed all NSAs (national sports associations) to submit their line ups as early as November to avoid delay,” said Fernandez.