SEAG medalists get P52.87M incentive

The POC will give out P200,000 for each individual gold medalist. #SEAGames #SEAGincentives

CARLOS Yu won two golds and five silvers in the SEA Games. (Bob Dungo Jr.)

All winners of medals in the just-concluded Southeast Asian Games are getting P52.87 million in cash incentives from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

“We got some help from our friends, notably Mr. Dennis Uy of Udenna/Phoenix and my colleagues in Congress. The POC alone does not have enough cash to include everyone but we were fortunate to have individuals who personally pitched in because they believe our athletes deserve to be rewarded,” Tolentino said.

The POC will give out P200,000 for each individual gold medalist.

For team gold medalists, it’s P100,000 with two members, P75,000 each for teams composed of three or four members, and P50,000 for each member of teams with five or more athletes.

Individual silver medalists and teams with two members will receive P50,000 per athlete while those with three or more members will be given P30,000 each.

All bronze medalists will get P30,000 a piece.

“It’s the least we can do for the athletes who sacrificed, toiled and persevered to make our countrymen proud in our hosting of the Games”, the Tagaytay solon said.

“With with the previous contributions from San Miguel Corporation, the MVP Sports Foundation and the PBA, plus yesterday’s pledge of P15 million from Mr. Uy and P6 million from the members of Congress, we are able to make this happen,” said Tolentino.

“This is the first time that the POC is giving out cash incentives for SEA Games medalists,” he added.

The 2019 Philippine SEA Games yielded 149 gold medals, 117 silver and 121 bronze for the host country, which gave the Philippines the overall championship. Vietnam, the next host country in 2021, was a distant second with 98 gold while third placer Thailand managed 92.