PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher "Bong" Go reiterated their full support to the athletes including former Davao City standout Aiba Women's World Boxing Championships featherweight gold medalist Nesthy Alcayde Petecio who has so far received a total of P3 million of cash incentives.

Petecio, born in Barangay Tuban in Sta. Cruz but started her amateur boxing career with the Calinan boxing team in Davao City while their family resided in Bago Gallera, along with Artistic World Gymnastics Championships gold medalist Carlos Yulo received P1 million each from President Duterte and P1 million from the national government through the Philippine Sports Commission, on Wednesday, October 16, during a ceremony at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang.

Both athletes also received P1 million each from MVP Sports Foundation of sports patron Manny Pangilinan.

"Nadeposit na nako sa akong savings ang mga checks (I already deposited the checks to my savings account)," the 27-year-old Petecio told Sun.Star Davao in a phone interview yesterday.

She also shared her short exchange with the President, "Akoa syang gipasalamatan sa tabang niya nako. Ana sya nga `Ikaw pa ba'..hahaha unya ana sya nga magminyo na daw ko kay naa koy kwarta na hahaha (I thanked the President for his help to her. He then told me, `Ikaw pa ba' hahaha and he told me to get married now `coz I already have money hahaha)."

It can be recalled that while Petecio's family was in Davao City from 2002 to 2010, then mayor Duterte helped the budding amateur boxer buy a plane ticket to Manila where she started training with the developmental pool after she emerged champion in a national Abap tournament in Cagayan de Oro City but it was only in 2008 that she officially joined the national boxing team. Petecio, however, had to join the Calinan boxing team under the late boxing patron Councilor Jose Louie Villafuerte as she was not affiliated with any other team. She needed to be part of a team to compete in Abap-sanctioned meets.

Senator Go, who chairs the sports committee in the Senate, in a Viber interview yesterday, said: "We told them nga kami ni President full support mi sa ilaha og sa tanang atleta. Proud kaayo mi sa iyaha, murag natabangan namo sya dati pero wala nako karemember (We told the athletes that the President and I are giving them our full support. We are very proud of Petecio, we had helped here before but I could no longer remember the extent of that help)."

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William "Butch" Ramirez presented Petecio, Yulo, three-time Olympian and 2019 IWF World Weightlifting Championships bronze medalist Hidilyn Diaz, 1st Filipino qualifier in 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games Ernest John Obiena and 2019 Aiba World Boxing Championships silver medalist Eumir Felix Marcial to the President during the courtesy visit.

Ramirez said Petecio is also set to receive additional P500,000 from Presidential Adviser for Sports Dennis Uy, who heads the Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation.

Petecio earlier told this writer she will finish the construction of their Tuban home, adding two more rooms, from her cash bonuses and buy her parents a one-hectare farm lot. The rest she will save and invest.

"Maging wise ko Mam kay dali ra biya mahurot ang kwarta (I need to be wise with my money)," she said. MLSA

Meanwhile, Petecio has been busy in TV and phone interviews and guestings in different radio and TV programs since she arrived Wednesday.