The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is set to give out incentives to Filipino athletes who bagged medals in the recently concluded 31st Southeast Asian Games this month in Hanoi, Vietnam.
POC president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino made the announcement on Sunday after the sports body held an Executive Board meeting on Saturday at the East Ocean Palace Restaurant in Pasay City.
“Everyone knew beforehand that Vietnam will relentlessly dominate the games but still, our athletes still held their ground despite limitations in their training and preparations because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Tolentino said in a statement.
“And to honor and recognize the athletes, the POC is rewarding them with incentive. We’re hopeful that when the 32nd SEA Games are hosted by Cambodia in May 2023, our athletes will remain in gold medal form.”
These are on top of the cash incentives the medalled athletes will receive from the Philippine Sports Commission, who is expected to shell out at least P18 million in cash bonuses as stated by the law under Republic Act 10699.
Aside from honoring the athletes, also tackled in the meeting is the elevation of the Samahang Kickboxing ng Pilipinas and Philippine Esports Organization as regular members of the organization.
"Tops on the agenda is honoring our Filipino athletes who competed strongly in the Vietnam SEA Games,” Tolentino said. “The country may have relinquished the overall championship, but our athletes were a ‘fighting team’ in Vietnam.”
Team Philippines finished fourth in the medals race with 52 gold, 70 silver and 105 bronze medals—the best finish by the country when it’s not hosting the biennial meet.