Malacañang windfall

Carlos Yulo –SHERWIN VARDELEON

World champion gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo and cue masters Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno will be abundantly rewarded by the government for their respective accomplishments as well as trackster Kristina Marie Knott on Wednesday’s courtesy call with President Duterte.

The government will shell out P136.4 million to cover the cash incentives as provided for by law plus the additional financial bounty from the generosity of the Office of the President.

“I am so proud of our athletes. They deserve our love, admiration and respect,’’ said Philippine Sports Commission Chair Butch Ramirez, whose agency will facilitate the release of the incentives together with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

Yulo, pocketing the gold in the floor exercise and all-around events of men’s artistic gymnastics, will receive P2.6 million in the meeting with Mr. Duterte.The 4-foot-8 bundle of energy from Leveriza, Manila, also got five silver medals, making him the most bemedalled Filipino athlete in the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Under the National Athletes Coaches and Trainers Benefits Incentives Act, gold medalists are entitled to a cash incentive of P300,000, with the silver winners getting P150,000 and bronze performers P60,000.

Kristina Marie Knott –MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

The President sweetened the pot by throwing in an additional bonus of P250,000 for gold, P150,000 for silver and P100,000 for bronze.

Filipino athletes collected a total of 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze medals at home to capture the overall title of the Games, the first time Team Philippines achieved the feat since reigning supreme during the 2005 Manila hosting.

After splitting the gold and silver in the women’s 9-ball and 10-ball events, Amit and Centeno joined forces in the 9-ball doubles play, a series of exceptional performances that will net them P1,125,000 each.

Knott, who ruled the women’s 200-meter dash but settled for the silver in 100m before anchoring the country’s women’s 4x100m relay squad to a silver finish, will earn at least a million.The dancesport tandem of Wilbert Aunzo and Pearl Marie Caneda won three gold medals as well as the duo of Sean Mischa Aranar and Ana Nualla, but the P1.650-million incentive will be equally divided between these two pairs.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will likewise give out cash rewards to medal-winning athletes on Tuesday during its general assembly with individual gold performers earning P200,000.

Chezka Centeno –LYN RILLON

“This is the first time that the POC is giving out cash incentives for SEA Games medalists,’’ said POC president Abraham “Bambol’’ Tolentino. “It’s the least we can do for the athletes who sacrificed, toiled and persevered to make our countrymen proud in our hosting of the Games.”

Individual silver medalists and teams with two members will receive P50,000 each while bronze medalists get P30,000. INQ

Rubilen Amit –LYN RILLON