Tuesday, January 08, 2008 Cash bonuses await Davao athletes By Marianne Saberon-Abalayan
DAVAO City athletes who won medals in the just-concluded Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand stand to receive cash incentives from the City Government of Davao.
The Davao athletes along with the other Filipino medallists, had received their bonus checks from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during a courtesy call at Malaca¤ang Palace in December last year.
Davao women's softball gold medal performer Juvelyn Maganda said any cash incentive from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte would be a great help.
"The incentive our team got had to be divided among 17 players. That's why we got only a little amount. I hope Mayor Rody Duterte will also give us incentive," Maganda said.
Edmer del Socorro and Ruel Batuto, who were members of the RP baseball team that won the silver medal, echoed Maganda's statement.
"The softball team players got a bigger share since they won a gold while we have to share a smaller amount from our silver win. We hope Mayor can give us a bonus so we can buy plane tickets to Manila. We need to go back for training in February," del Socorro said.
"Mayor Duterte's incentive is our only hope to be able to return to Manila for training," Batuto said.
Ruditha Poralan of the traditional boat race women's team that bagged a silver and a bronze said: "We received less than P2,000 each from our share of the team's incentives. We hope Mayor can add up to it just like he did after the 2005 SEA Games)."
Diver Sheila Mae Perez, who pocketed a gold and a silver in Thailand, earned a total of P150,000 as cash incentives from the national government where a gold medal is worth P100,000 while a silver is P50,000 and a bronze is P25,000.
Davao City athletes in billiards, water polo and track and field also won SEA Games medals.
City sports coordinator Christopher "Bong" Go said the city government will give the cash bonus anytime as soon as the athletes are available.
