INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Medalist in the recent 25th Southeast Asian Games will finally receive their cash incentives in full from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Wednesday next week in Malacañang.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping on Wednesday announced that the President will hand out a total of about P15 million to the 38 SEA Games champions, 35 silver medalists and 51 bronze winners.

Of the P15 million, Angping said P6.6 million was allocated by the government through Republic Act 9064, or the Sports Incentives Act, which grants P100,000 for gold, P50,000 for silver and P10,000 for bronze medalists.

The head of the government sports agency also said that the private sector will turn over to the gold medalists another P3.8 million, on top of what the RA 9064 granted, and another P800,000 for record-breakers in the biennial regional competition.

The PSC released last month the first tranche of P3.8 million to the 38 gold medalists during the agency?s Christmas party.

Before their stints in the Laos SEA Games, where the country finished fifth overall, Angping promised to reward the gold medalists P300,000 each. From the amount, P100,000 was provided for by RA 9064 and the P200,000 by private sponsors.

?I kept my promise to the athletes,? said Angping, who drew private-sector support from Lamoiyan Corp., Pacific Online and Discovery Suites, among others.