THE Zamboanga City Government is holding a special welcome ceremony on Monday, September 4, for the Zamboangueño athletes as a show of recognition for their impressive performance in the recently held 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar will lead the ceremony that will be held in front of City Hall after the flag ceremony.
The Zamboangueño athletes who excelled in the 29th SEA Games are Eumir Felix Marcial, boxing gold medalist; Jefferson Rhey Loon, pencak silat bronze medalist; Chezka Luy Centeno, gold medal Women’s 9-pool ball single; Chris Michael Tolomia, who bagged a gold as part of the Gilas Pilipinas basketball team that won over Indonesia in the finals; and, bronze medalist Ryan Jakiri who placed third in the muaythai 63.5 kilogram (kg) category.
The medalists will receive cash incentives based on the provisions of an ordinance.
A gold medal in the SEA games is equivalent to P150,000; silver medal is P100,000 while a bronze medal is P75,000.
Meanwhile, also to be recognized and honored Monday is Sharif Afif who won a silver medal in the Karatedo senior male team kumite category and a bronze medal in the senior individual male kumite (85kg) category during the Thailand Karatedo Open Championship 2017 held at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand from April 22 to 24. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)