THE 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games medalists who hail from Cebu City will have more reasons to celebrate as the City Government will triple the cash incentives for their feat in the 11-nation sporting meet.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella announced on Monday, December 16, that they will give P300,000 in cash incentives for the gold medalists, P200,000 for the silver medalists and P100,000 for the bronze medalists.
This is bigger than the previously announced incentives of P100,000, P50,000 and P25,000 for gold, silver and bronze medalists.
“The City will give incentives to these winners. Dili mahimo na mamakpak lang ta (We can’t just clap for them),” said Labella.
“Together with Councilors Jerry Guardo, Dondon Hontiveros and the rest of the Cebu City Council, we asked them, and of course this is already guaranteed, to pass a resolution providing P300,000 to gold medalists, P200,000 to silver medalists and P100,000 for bronze medalists,” he continued.
Labella said it is only fitting to increase the cash incentives since the athletes “brought honor and glory not only to the country but more particularly to the City of Cebu.”
“More importantly, they set the tone because the first 10 golds that the Philippine team got were from our dancesport competitors who are from Cebu City,” the mayor added.
SEA Games triple gold medalists Wilbert Aunzo and Pearl Marie Cañeda of dancesport, double gold medalist Margielyn Didal of skateboarding, gold medalist Lois Kaye Go of golf and silver medalist Mary Joy Tabal, along with some coaches, paid a courtesy call on Labella at the Cebu City Hall on Monday.
Also present were Philippine Sports Commission commissioner Ramon Fernandez and Cebu City Sports Commission chairman Edward Hayco.
The Philippines finished as overall champion in the 30th SEA Games with a whopping 387 medals — 149 golds, 117 silvers and 121 bronzes. This was only the second time that the Philippines won the overall crown.
Aside from the cash incentives from the local government unit, an individual gold medalists is set to receive a total of P750,000 — P300,000 from the national government under Republic Act 10699, P250,000 from the Office of the President and P200,000 from the Philippine Olympic Committee.
The silver and bronze medalists will also receive monetary rewards.
Meanwhile, Labella said he will pursue the construction of a skate park in the city on the request of Didal.
He said he would no longer ask for the US$100,000 donation promised by the sister of former mayor Tomas Osmeña for the project and that he would just use the City’s funds. The park is projected to cost P15 million.
He instructed Counilor Hontiveros to find an area outside the Plaza Independencia as the plaza is not suitable for the skate park. (RSC, PAC, RGT)