Thu | 12.19.2019 | 05:20 PM

President Rodrigo Duterte confers one of the SEA Games medalists, weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz, the Order of Lapu Lapu award in recognition of her outstanding achievement that made the country proud.

The Chief Executive hands another SEA Games outstanding athlete the Lapu Lapu Award. Looking on are (from left) PSC Chairman William Ramirez, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham Tolentino, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and House Speaker and PHISGOC Chairman Alan Peter Cayetano.

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) released on Wednesday a total of P117 million in cash incentives for all Filipino medal winners and their coaches in the recently-concluded 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The cash windfall was received by the medalists during a courtesy call with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang. The Chief Executive also conferred the athletes the rank of Kamagi under the Order of Lapulapu, which is awarded to officials, government personnel, and private citizens "in recognition of invaluable or extraordinary service in relation to a campaign or advocacy of the President."

"The blood, sweat, and tears that you have shed to earn this prestigious recognition is truly inspiring. I am really very happy to no end,” the President addressed the athletes in his speech.

Getting the lion’s share of the financial bounty were multi-medal winners led by world champion gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, cue masters Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno, and trackster Kristina Marie Knott.

Clinching the gold in the floor exercise and all-around events of men’s artistic gymnastics, Yulo received a total of P2.6 million from President Duterte, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and PAGCOR. He also won five silver medals to emerge as the most bemedalled Filipino athlete in the biennial meet.

Under Republic Act 10699, otherwise known as the National Athletes Coaches and Trainers Benefits Incentives Act, gold medal winners in SEA Games are entitled to a cash incentive of P300,000. Silver and bronze medalists, on the other hand, get P150,000 and P60,000, respectively.

Coaches of national athletes are also entitled to cash incentives if they have personally trained and rendered service to the athletes or teams who win in international competitions at least six months prior to the international competition.

The incentives for the coaches shall be equivalent to 50 percent of the cash incentives for gold, silver and bronze medalists. In case of more than one coach, the cash incentives shall be divided among themselves.

President Duterte also committed to give the athletes an additional P21 million on top of the incentives to medalists provided by the law.

The Filipino athletes had a total haul of 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals to win the overall championship of the Games for the second time since the Philippines first hosted the SEA Games in 2005.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo said that the SEA Games winners deserved to be compensated for their accomplishments as they helped reestablish the Philippines’ athletic supremacy in the Southeast Asian region.

“It is but fitting that we reward our sports heroes for a job well done. They did our country proud with their achievements and because of them, the Philippines is once again standing prominently in the international stage,” Chairman Domingo explained.

On top of these incentives and by virtue of Republic Act 6847, PAGCOR, without fail, remits five percent of its revenues to the PSC to finance the country’s sports development programs.

Since the current management took over in 2016, PAGCOR has already remitted a total of P5.71 billion to the state sports agency.

The state-run gaming firm also turned over P842.5 million as donation to the PSC last June 26, 2019 to finance the rehabilitation of the Philsports Complex Multipurpose Arena, Rizal Memorial Coliseum and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, which were utilized for the SEA Games.

It likewise granted P200 million to the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) for the staging of the regional multi-sports event.

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