FIDE Master Sander Severino. –PHOTO FROM PSC
Severino draws richest reward among para athletes
MANILA, Philippines–FIDE Master Sander Severino can proudly show off more than just his cluster of gold medals plus a pair of silvers.
The most decorated para athlete from the Philippines in the recent 11th Asean Para Games in Indonesia will be well compensated by the government through the Philippine Sports Commission and Pagcor for his accomplishments.
Severino’s four gold and two silver medals from chess are worth P500,000 in monetary bonuses, which form part of the nearly P12 million total cash incentives that the government will reward its medalists from the Games.
Team Philippines collected 28 gold, 31 silver and 46 bronze medals from the Games that showcased the fittest para athletes in the Asean region, a finish good for fifth overall among 11 nations and yet it surpassed all previous outputs.
“Our para-athletes showcased their grit and hunger for success in the APG. The support of the Filipino people provided through the PSC are truly reciprocated.” PSC Officer-in-Charge and Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr. said.
“We finished fifth, but the marked improvement in our medal output showed how determined and hungry our athletes were,’’ said Philippine Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo.
It was far better than the 20-20-29 gold-silver-bronze haul by Filipino para athletes in the 2017 APG in Kuala Lumpur and exceeded the best performance by the country—a 24-24-26 production—also in the Malaysian capital back in 2009.
Apart from the P7,998,750 total bonuses for the athletes, the government will also separately shell out 50 percent of the cash incentives of medal-winning para athletes to reward their coaches.
“We hope that this reward will give them an extra morale boost to keep reaching for their dreams. We thank all our national para-athletes for all their sacrifices and taking pride in raising our flag here and in their coming competitions,” Iroy said.
Deputy Chef de Mission Tricia Rana credits the support of the PSC in the success of the team. The PSC has given para-athletes equal benefits, allowances, and incentives with regular athletes, which they see as one of the biggest morale boosters.
“Aside from the determination of our athletes, plus nag-inspire sa kanila to give honor and to give back to what the government through the Philippine Sports Commission is giving them. Malaking tulong po talaga ang ginawa ng PSC,” said DCDM Rana.
Under Republic Act No. 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, a gold medal in the Asean Para Games is worth P150,000, a silver is equivalent to P75,000 and a bronze has a value of P30,000.
For team events with less than five participants, the team shall receive the same cash incentives for individual medal winners and will be divided equally among them.
Swimmers Ariel Alegarbes and Angel Otom, who both emerged triple-gold performers, will take home P450,000 each while Paralympian Ernie Gawilan has netted P382,000 for his pair of golds on top of a silver and bronze.
Chesser Darry Bernardo wound up fifth in the cash incentive list, expected to receive P335,000 for his three golds, one silver and two bronzes.
Iroy said the PSC already wrote Malacanang for a courtesy call where the podium finishers will present their medals to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.