Andy Avellana from Philippines competes in the men’s high jump F42 classification final during the athletics competition at the 2012 Paralympics, Monday, Sept. 3, 2012, in London. AP
Powerlifter Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta will have a bigger motivation when she aims to reach for the medal podium again in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio De Janeiro.
Bound on her wheelchair, the 42-year-old polio victim from Kiangan, Ifugao is raring to at least duplicate her bronze-medal feat in 2000 Sydney with the huge cash incentive from the government in mind.
Winning a gold medal in the Paralympics is worth P5 million, a silver is equivalent to P2.5 million and a bronze P1 million after Republic Act 10699, authored by Senator Sonny Angara that amended the Sports Incentives Act of 2001, was signed into law.
Apart from Dumapong-Ancheta (women’s +86kg), chef de mission Dennis Esta is also pinning his hopes on trackster Jerrold Pete Mangliwan, swimmer Ernie Gawilan and Josephine Medina of table tennis to alter the country’s misfortunes in the past three editions of the Paralympics.
“We’re confident of bringing home a medal this time,” said Esta, also the secretary general of the Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled (Philspada).
The 15th Summer Paralympic Games is set Sept. 7-18, over two weeks after the conclusion of the Rio Summer Olympics. A total of 175 countries will participate in 23 sports with the Philippines sending four athletes and nine officials set to leave on Sept. 1.
Philippine National Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo and Gerardo Rosario will join the athletes along with coaches Louis Mark Eballa (table tennis), Ramon Debuque (powerlifting), Antonio Ong (swimming), Joel Deriada (athletics) and Raul Michael Cembrano (team doctor).
So far, Dumapong-Ancheta’s bronze in 2000 was the only medal of the Philippines in the Paralympics.
Gawilan, orthopedically handicapped, has a strong chance to win a medal in the 100m and 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke events while Mangliwan, a polio victim like Dumapong, can shine in the 100m dash and 400m run.
As for the coaches, they’re entitled to a 50-percent bonus from the government based on the cash incentives of their medal-winning athlete./rga