PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, September 12, greeted the Philippine athletes who showcased their talents and bagged medals in the 2018 Asian Games held in Indonesia in August.
"It is my pleasure to welcome you back as Filipinos who have made the entire country immensely proud," Duterte said during the awarding of incentives to the Filipino medalists in the 18th Asian Games.
"I congratulate our athletes and their coaches for their efforts in bringing honor and recognition to the Philippines in the field of sports. We Filipinos have always been known for our competitive spirit, and this year, we did not fall short of showing our trait to our neighbors," he added.
The Philippines landed in 19th place out of the 45 participating countries.
About four gold medals, two silver medals, and 15 bronze medals were bagged by the Philippine delegation in the regional multi-sport event.
The incentives for the winning Filipino athletes were granted, in accordance with the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
Under RA 10699, Asian Games gold medalists are entitled to P2 million, silver medalists to P1 million, and bronze medalists to P400,000.