HIGHER CASH INCENTIVE. Baguio athletes hope that the city council will pass soon the new Baguio City Sports Code that will increase and improve the benefits and welfare of city athletes. Incentives for elite athletes are expected to be doubled at the minimum. (PNA file photo by Pigeon Lobien)
BAGUIO CITY – Athletes here will be more eager to compete internationally as the city is expected to increase their financial rewards with the new sports code that will replace City Ordinance 20, series of 2016 or the sports incentive ordinance anytime this year.
From the PHP30,000; PHP20,000; PHP10,000 incentive schedule for gold, silver, and bronze performance, a higher incentive will be given to winning athletes depending on the event they have joined.
Youth representative and Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales said they are expecting to have the updated sports code approved anytime soon and implemented by April.
He said they held the second consultation on January 31 and hopes to consolidate the inputs for deliberation of the council and its eventual approval.
“We will finish the consolidation by the end of this month,” Orcales said on Wednesday.
The new scheme will have a PHP500,000 windfall for a gold medalist in the Olympics, either summer or winter, while a silver and bronze medalist will be PHP400,000 and PHP300,000.
On the other hand, a coach gets PHP250,000 for a gold, while PHP200,000 and PHP150,000 will be given to the winner of either a silver or bronze medal.
Youth Olympic and Paralympic Games winners will be given a PHP400,000; PHP300,000; and PHP200,000 cash bonus, while the coach will get PHP200,000; PHP156,000; and PHP100,000 for a gold, silver or bronze medal haul of the athlete under his care.
Asian Games including winter, indoor and martial arts competitions will have a PHP300,000 bonus to a gold winner, while PHP200,000 and PHP100,000 will go to a silver and bronze medalist.
Asian Para Games and world level competitions held every two years with at least 45 countries competing promises a lucrative PHP150,000; PHP100,000 or PHP75,000 windfall, while an Asian level competition with at least 25 countries participating could walk home with either a PHP100,000; PHP75,000 or PHP50,000 bonus.
"That is good news. I will go for that,” said wushu sanda champion Divine Wally who will join in a world and Asian competition level tournaments this year.
“Ka-excite naman yan, (That is very exciting)” added the former world champion and a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in November last year.
Wally is scheduled to see action in the World Cup of Wushu in September tentatively slated in Australia and the Asian World Cup expectedly in India by November, two events she has won in the past.
The first could net her a hefty PHP150,000 and for the latter PHP100,000 if she gets past all her opponents.
She won the event in 2017 as she swept the three cornerstones of the sports event that include the World Wushu Championship title. But then, she only received PHP30,000 as provided for by the sports incentive ordinance.
“Mas magiging masaya ang mga athletes na tulad ko (The athletes like me will be happy with this development),” she said.
Her SEAG achievement in November could net her PHP30,000, but under the new code, that will be doubled.
“Sayang sana retroactive, (What a pity, it should have been retroactive),” said arnis bronze medalist Eza Rai Yalong, who is entitled to PHP10,000 under the old ordinance but will be tripled under the new code.
Wushu sanda player Fred Gideon Padua and arnisador Billy Joel Valenzuela will be able to get their PHP20,000 cash incentive anytime soon for their silver medal finish last SEAG.
But if they achieve the same feat next year, they will be getting PHP40,000.
Other international competitions with at least eight participating countries will give a PHP30,000-PHP20,000-PHP10,000 incentive to athletes who bring home a medal.
Orcales said the results of their January 31 consultation will be consolidated to form the sports code and promised that it will be completed by this month and implementable by April at the soonest. (PNA)
