MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation received a cool million from the House of Representatives on Monday night for making the country relevant in the sport on a global scale.
PDBF technical director Nestor Ilagan said the P1-million incentive would go a long way for the training of the Filipino paddlers, who brought home five gold medals and two silvers from the 10th International Dragon Boat World Championship five months ago.
Congress has acknowledged the feat with majority of the 285-member lower chamber reportedly forking P5,000 each to reward the paddlers for their exploits.
Ilagan said the Philippine Sports Commission has removed the paddlers from its payroll, forcing the PDBF to lean on private support to sustain the programs of the federation.
Without backing from the government, the 22-man team has been barred from training near the docks of the Manila Yacht Club.
Ilagan said the Manila Ocean Park, two kilometers away from the Yacht Club, has adopted them for the meantime.
“There are plenty of tournaments lined up overseas. We want to participate in them if we could raise the funding,’’ said Ilagan.
So far, monetary help from the Philippine Airlines and Cobra Energy Drink has been keeping PDBF afloat.
Ilagan said they would continue reaping honors for the country in upcoming races in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.
According to Ilagan, several congressmen approached them on the turnover rights, offering help to patch things up with the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Federation, the association recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee for running the affairs of dragon boat.
The PCKF sent a dragon boat team in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and won five medals, including a gold in the men’s 500 meters against Myanmar.