MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday evening honored the athletes who represented the Philippines during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and vowed to continue supporting the country's sports programs.
Duterte awarded incentives to weightlifter and gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, boxers and silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, and boxer and bronze medalist Eumir Marcial during a ceremony attended by sports officials in Malacañang.
Diaz was feted for bringing home the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal and for her "uplifting life story" that serves as inspiration to Filipinos.
She received P15 million from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., a certificate of turnover of a housing unit from the National Housing Authority (NHA), P3 million from the Office of the President (OP), and a presidential medal of merit.
Petecio and Paalam each received P5 million from the PSC, a certificate of turnover of a housing unit from NHA, and P2 million from the OP.
They were also conferred with an Order of Lapu Lapu with the rank of Kamagi, which is given to those "who actively participated in and contributed significantly to an activity pursuant to a campaign or advocacy of the president."
Marcial, meanwhile, was awarded P2 million from the PSC, a certificate of turnover of a housing unit from NHA, and P1 million from the OP.
Other athletes who joined the Tokyo Olympics will receive P200,000 from the OP as well as presidential citations.
Duterte also honored former Olympian and boxer Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, who won silver during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Velasco received a P500,000 incentive from the OP and was conferred with the Order of Lapu Lapu with the rank of Kamagi.
"I congratulate you once again for bringing pride and honor to the country and for uplifting the spirit of the Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Your hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship even amid the challenges in your training and competition prior to the Olympics are truly inspiring," the president said.
"I am confident you will get better and stronger in securing more victories in the future. Your success will continue to motivate many aspiring athletes and our Filipino youth to channel their energies into sports and other productive activities, keeping them away from the harmful vices," he added.
Duterte thanked the Philippine Olympic Committee and the PSC for their efforts to ensure that the Filipino athletes are ready to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. He assured athletes that the government remains committed to providing them full support.
"I enjoin the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and other sports bodies to continue providing the much needed assistance to keep our athletes on top of their game and to help them become all-time greats," Duterte said.
Duterte also congratulated Japan for hosting the 2020 Olympics and expressed hope that the Paralympics ito be held in Tokyo would become a "resounding success."