PSC awards incentives to SEAG medalists Friday

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Sports Commission will lobby for an across-the-board increase in the cash incentive for medalists in the Southeast Asian Games.

“It’s about time we increased the cash incentives in the SEA Games,” said PSC chair Richie Garcia Thursday on the eve of the agency’s scheduled awarding of P7.69 million in bonuses to athletes who shone in the recent 27th SEA Games in Myanmar (Burma) at Philsports Arena.

As provided for by Republic Act 9064, known as the Sports Incentives Act, a SEA Games gold is worth P100,000, a silver P50,000 and a bronze P10,000.

“We’ve been lobbying for an increase in these bonuses,” Garcia added.

Included in Friday’s gift-giving are the coaches of the athletes who won 29 gold, 34 silver and 38 bronze medals in 23 sports.

The medal output left the country in a record-low seventh place, though, behind overall champion Thailand, host Burma, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Garcia said the coaches will receive 50 percent of their athletes’ incentives.

“Only coaches certified by their athletes will get the incentives,” he said.

Foreign-based athletes like BMX racers Daniel and Christopher Caluag, who finished 1-2 in BMX, as well as 400-meter hurdles winner Eric Cray received their cash bonuses before Christmas.

Garcia said other athletes (boxing and men’s basketball, to name a few) with private sponsors stand to earn more.

“They’ll get more from their sponsors,” he said. “It’s a welcome development but I feel bad for the other athletes who don’t have any private support.”