Filipino SEA Games medalists start receiving bonuses

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino medalists in the Phnom Penh Southeast Asian Games last month will get the reward they deserved as Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino started to release their incentives Friday. 

The awarding of cash bonuses coincided with the country’s celebration of the birth of the Olympics at the University of the Philippines track oval in Diliman, Quezon City.

Among the medal winners who attended the simple but meaningful festivities and ceremonially received their bonuses — which were drawn from the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation and the POC trust fund — were gold winners Sam Morrison of taekwondo, Janry Ubas of long jump and the fantastic obstacle course racing squad.

Carlos Yulo, the most be-medaled Filipino athlete in Phnom Penh with two gold and the same number of silver, personally received his P250,000 incentive through POC treasurer and Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion Norton in another place in Manila.

The rest of the 260 medalists will get theirs next week at the PhilSports Complex in Pasig.

“The POC is so grateful with Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan for his continuous generosity to help our athletes to excel in their respective sports through the years,” said Tolentino.

“The athletes are very thankful and they promise us to do their best in future competitions.”

MVPSF executive director Jude Turcuato formally turned over the check to the POC.

“It’s a good fit for us because the MVPSF was built for the athletes to win medals for the country,” said Turcuato.

“We are celebrating now the Olympic Day and it’s a good timing. We want to thank our athletes as well for giving their best,” he added.

Individual gold medalists will get P100,000 each, silver medalists P50,000 and bronze medalists will earn P25,000.