PH Olympians now home, get Malacañang honors

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday awarded Paris Olympics double gold medal winner Carlos Yulo with the Presidential Medal of Merit as the Philippine delegation arrived in Malacañang on Tuesday night.

The medal is one of the highest awards conferred by the President to Filipinos in recognition of their contributions to sports, literature, science, the arts or entertainment.

The delegation, which came from Dubai for the final leg of their homecoming trip, was met at the tarmac of the Villamor Air Base by flag-waving schoolchildren and their family members and supporters before their convoy proceeded to he Palace.

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The President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, their children and the country’s top leaders waited for the athletes, having prepared for them an awarding ceremony and dinner reception.

Loud cheering greeted 17 of the 22 Olympians upon their arrival in Malacañang as they soon posed for selfies.

Cash prize

The first family greeted each of the Olympians, with gymnast Yulo, and boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas each receiving from Marcos a facsimile of the cash prize they received for their Olympic feat.

Yulo is entitled to receive P20 million, in accordance with the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act (Republic Act No. 10699) for the two gold medals he garnered.

Petecio and Villegas, the two bronze medalists in boxing, will receive P2 million each.

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President Marcos also pledged that his office would match the cash incentive that each of the 22 Olympians will receive from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

The President said the coaching staff of each Olympic athlete would get P500,000 as cash incentive.

“You have brought fame for the country. I know that the whole time you have been thinking about your performance. But your performance means a lot for all of us here who were watching you, cheering for and supporting you,” the President told the athletes.

Heroes Parade

In a speech, Yulo thanked all Filipinos for the support they extended to the delegation in their two-week campaign in Paris, where the Philippine team logged its best finish since participating in the Games in 1924.

On Wednesday, the Olympians will be honored in a homecoming parade in the cities of Pasay and Manila.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) acting Chair Romando Artes said his agency would deploy 300 personnel, including traffic enforcers and street sweepers, who will ensure the parade’s orderliness.

Included in the convoy are MMDA motorcycle units, police mobile units, an ambulance, media vehicles and a vehicle carrying the MMDA band.

The athletes will be aboard an elevated flatbed vehicle or float, which will have a provision for rain cover in case of a heavy downpour.

The convoy will start at 3 p.m. at Aliw Theater on Vicente Sotto Street at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex.

It will then traverse Roxas Boulevard, P. Burgos Avenue, Finance Road, Taft Avenue, Quirino Avenue and Adriatico Street, ending at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex where the athletes will be feted by Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna in a short program that is open to the public.

Artes said the parade would pass through Manila’s Malate district where Yulo was born and raised.

The future Olympian studied at Aurora A. Quezon Elementary School on San Andres Street.

Alternative routes

Artes said the target is to finish the parade before the afternoon rush hour around 5 p.m.

Northbound motorists who need to get to Radial Road 10 may take the Skyway, exit at Gil Puyat Avenue, then proceed to Taft Avenue, F.B. Harrison Street, Mabini Street, Quirino Avenue and Lacson Avenue.

Southbound vehicles may take Roxas Boulevard, United Nations Avenue, San Marcelino Street, Quirino Avenue and then to South Luzon Expressway.