Filipino athletes to receive additional incentives

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The first Filipino Olympic gold medalist in the Summer Games will receive P10 million incentive implementing the Republic Act 10699, which raised the amount to broaden the incentives and benefits of national athletes, trainers, and coaches.

The RA 9064 or the National Athletes, Coaches, and Trainers Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001, indicates the increase of amount of cash incentives given to winning athletes, coaches, and trainers, and to give benefits to athletes with disabilities.

Mansueto ‘Onyok’ Velasco and the late Anthony Villanueva are the only two Filipinos who came close to winning a gold medal for the Philippines. The two bagged silver medals in the 1964 (Tokyo) and 1996 (Atlanta) Olympics.

Silver medalist will receive P5 million, while the bronze medalist will receive P2 million.

Senator Sonny Angara, one of the authors of RA 10699 said “We should also recognize our outstanding athletes with disabilities, we include them among the national athletes who deserve to have incentives, because they also participated in international competitions. We wanted to recognize and give justice to the country’s winning athletes by increasing the amount of prize and benefits they will receive.”

The new law also entitles the Asian Games gold medalist to have P2 million cash incentives, while silver and bronze medalists will get P1 million and P400,000.

For participation in team sports with five or more members, each will get 25 percent of cash incentives provided for the individual medal winners.

Medalists of world-level championships held every two years or with at least 45 countries participating, and Asian-level competitions held every two years with at least 25 countries participating will also receive cash incentives aside from the regular major competitions.

“We can’t deny that Filipinos love sports, and the Philippine government should recognize and give rewards to the achievements of our athletes. Bagging up medals and participating at the international competitions is the result of hard training by both athletes, and coaches,” Angara said.

The bill also grants every national athlete, coaches, and trainers 20 percent discount on transportation, hotels, and other lodging establishments, restaurants, and purchase of medicine and sports equipments for their use.

Winning national athletes will also receive scholarship benefits in full tuition fees in state colleges and universities.