INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo
MANILA, Philippines — Following star gymnast Carlos Yulo’s historic haul of two gold medals in the Paris Olympics, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants more Filipino athletes to shine in their respective sports and score more victories for the country.
To make this possible, Marcos said he would consult the 24-year-old Yulo on what the government should do to enable athletes like him to perform spectacularly in international competitions.
“When I see him, I will ask him what the government can do to help athletes so that we will have more medalists in the Olympics … Athletes don’t just think about their welfare, but they also think about improving their performance in their respective sports,” the President said in an interview in Masantol, Pampanga, on Wednesday.
Knockout performance
Philippines’ Carlos Edriel Yulo poses during the podium ceremony for the artistic gymnastics men’s vault event of the Paris Olympics at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 4, 2024. —photo by Loic Venence/Agence France-Presse
“What do we need to do? Do we have to change the organization? Does it need to be funded?… I think Caloy Yulo will continue to greater heights in sports because he has been a world champion for a long time. He should have won in [the] Tokyo [Olympics]. But now, we saw his real abilities. I think he will be the best person to ask what else it is that we can do,” he added.
The President also congratulated boxer Aira Villegas for winning a bronze medal in the women’s 50kg semifinals early Wednesday morning.
“Congratulations, Aira! That was a knockout performance in your Olympic debut! You made us all proud and are surely an inspiration to young Filipinas,” Marcos said on Facebook and Instagram.
Upon his return to the country, Yulo is expected to receive P20 million from the Philippine Sports Commission as mandated by Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
He will also get a three-bedroom, fully furnished unit at McKinley Hills worth P32 million from Megaworld and a P3 million cash bonus from the real estate giant.
The House of Representatives also pledged P6 million for Yulo while the Philippine Olympic Committee said it would gift him a house and lot in Tagaytay City.
Also deserving
Senate President Francis Escudero, however, said that other Filipino athletes also deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their performance at the Paris Olympics. He cited EJ Obiena, who placed fourth in the men’s pole vault final.
“If you ask me, and I will also propose this to my colleagues here in the Senate, although he gained no medal, EJ should also be given a reward and recognition. If I am not mistaken, from 11th [in the Tokyo Olympics], he climbed up to fourth. One more and he would have earned a medal. But still, it’s a big achievement, it’s still an accomplishment,” Escudero said in a press briefing.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, on the other hand, filed a resolution seeking to confer on Villegas the Senate Medal of Excellence for her bronze medal finish.
Estrada said her achievement brought honor and prestige to the country and has become a source of inspiration among aspiring boxers.
Several senators filed resolutions on Monday conferring on Yulo the Senate medal, the highest expression of national appreciation, for his outstanding achievement of being the first-ever Filipino athlete to win two gold medals in the Olympics.
According to Escudero, they were still studying the amount to be given to Yulo as a reward.
“I think Sen. Alan (Peter Cayetano) will file a resolution for that. But by tradition here in the Senate … in the past, we passed the hat among senators,” he said.