Overtime

PH BOXERS RETURN HOME AFTER SUCCESSFUL OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN

Filipino boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial were given a warm welcome as they returned home on Monday afternoon from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a haul of 3 medals.

/ 11 August 2021

Officials led by Sen. Bong Go, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, PSC Commissioner Celia Kiram, and Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Ricky Vargas welcomed the last batch of athletes arrived back in the Philippines after the Summer Games came to an end on Sunday.

Petecio and Paalam who both brought home silver medal medals in the women’s featherweight and men’s flyweight respectively and Marcial with bronze in the men’s middleweight category will still undergo the mandatory quarantine at the Summit Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay City.

Go commended the entire Philippine delegation for the country’s record-breaking Olympic campaign after bringing home the Philippines’s first-ever gold, two silver, and one bronze medals for the 50th place finish in the medal table.

Sa lahat ng mga nakakuha ng medalya sa Tokyo Olympics na pawang mga taga-Mindanao, proud na proud kami ni Tatay Digong na kapwa niyo taga-Mindanao din. Daghang salamat,” Go wrote on his official Facebook page.

Sa lahat ng mga atleta, coaches, trainers, mga naging bahagi ng delegasyon, at sa lahat ng mga sumuporta—mula sa mga opisyal ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno hanggang sa mga pinakaordinaryong manggagawa—, maraming, maraming salamat sa inyo,” added the senator, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports.

Moreover, President Rodrigo Duterte had a virtual teleconference with the three medalists, and teammate Irish Magno shortly after the Philippine boxing Olympians had landed back in the country from their most successful Games.

“I would like to announce that in addition to what the law gives you, the Office of the President (OP) will grant additional cash incentives to our athletes in the Tokyo Olympics,” said the President.

This brings the total amount awarded by the government through the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act of 2015, and the OP to P13 million for gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, P7 million to the silver medalists Paalam and Petecio, and P3 million to Marcial.

Paalam and Petecio were awarded P2 million, which brings their monetary prizes to at least P21 million while Marcial will be given P1 million to hike his total cash earnings to at least P9.5 million.

On the other hand, the 15 non-medalists will also be awarded P200,000 by the OP. It follows the P500,000 reward allotted to them by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the MVP Sports Foundation, for a total of P700,000.

Furthermore, the four medalists will also be awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu Medal, an honor given by the Republic of the Philippines to somebody who has brought honor to the country. A Presidential citation will be given too.

“It is not an everyday occurrence that we receive such an honor from the citizens of the Republic of the Philippines. You went to Tokyo to fight, and I’d say you did your best,” said PRRD.