Yulo wants new home for his family; Petecio will use bonus to renovate house

Boxer Nesthy Petecio, gymnast and pole vaulter EJ Obiena during a press conference Tuesday night. Photo by June Navarro

MANILA, Philippines–World champions Caloy Yulo and Nesthy Petecio had always prayed for an improved dwelling environment for their families.

Their dream of living in a comfortable home will finally turn into reality upon receiving their cash incentives both from the government and the private sector.

“I want to buy a new house for my family,’’ said the 19-year-old Yulo during Tuesday’s night press conference attended by his parents, siblings and grandfather at the Century Park Hotel organized by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Both Yulo and Petecio will individually receive more than P3 million—a cool million from the government through the PSC, P1 million each from the MVP Sports Foundation and another million from President Duterte.

PSC chairman William Ramirez explained the President has a generous attitude of doubling the cash incentives of gold-winning athletes.

Presidential Adviser on Sports Dennis Uy also pledged P500,000 to all 3 gold medalists from the Siklab foundation, according to Ramirez. This was announced during their courtesy call to Malacanang on Wednesday.

“I experienced how it was to live in a make-shift house exposed to the elements before I became a national boxer,’’ said the 27-year-old Petecio. “During those times, I knew that God is always beside me and life will soon be comfortable for me and my family.’’

Yulo ruled the men’s floor exercise event of the just-concluded 49th FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany while Petecio defeated hometown favorite Liudmila Vorontsove during the 2019 Aiba Women’s Boxing World Championships in Ulan-Ude, Russia on Sunday.

Petecio, who will use the money to renovate the family home in Tuban, Davao del Sur, first came to Manila more than a decade ago to try her luck in the national team.

Without any funding to shoulder her travel expenses, Petecio approached then Davao City mayor Duterte, who immediately provided support for the lady boxer to reach her dreams.

“Mayor Duterte was the one who helped me. He’s one of the benefactors that made me what I am today,’’ said Petecio, who also credited coaches Boy Velasco and Reynaldo Galido for her new-found fame.

As the world’s No.1 competitor in the women’s featherweight division, Petecio will aim to land an Olympic spot in the Asian Championships in Wuhan, China come February and join Yulo and pole-vaulter EJ Obiena in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Obiena will receive P1.650 million from the PSC for a series of victories in the international scene lately and for becoming the first Filipino qualifier in Tokyo.

It was a family affair for Yulo on Tuesday night in the welcome dinner likewise attended by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol’’ Tolentino, PSC commissioners Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxey, Celia Kiram, Arnold Agustin and Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion.

“There was a time when Caloy almost called it quits because of the difficulties of being an athlete. He didn’t give up because he knows that we, his family, is always behind him,’’ said Angelica Yulo in Filipino, Caloy’s mother.

Yulo started picking up the sport at 7 years old after watching a former Palarong Pambansa gymnast perform in a park near their home in Leveriza, Malate, Manila with his grandfather.

Yulo’s friends, all 16 of them, tried to replicate the moves of the gymnast and when they wanted to see more, the group went to the gymnastics training center at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, just a few blocks away from their home.

There, Yulo and his barkada tried out for the national developmental team with Yulo eventually starting out a successful career.

“For now, I don’t know what his other plans are besides from focusing in the Olympics. I just told Caloy to save and put his money in the bank,’’ said Angelica.

But Yulo, whose Japanese coach Munehiro Kugimiya was a huge part of his victory, has already trained his sights on a new house.