RP medalists to get P13.5M in incentives

DOHA — It will be a happy holiday for the 19 Filipino athletes, whose feats in various fields in the just-concluded Asian Games here netted them incentives worth a total of P13.5 million.

Boxers Violito Payla and Joan Tipon, pool artist Antonio Gabica and wushu fighter Rene Catalan head the recipients of the government’s incentive program for athletes who excel in the international sporting arena while fighting for the country’s flag and honor.

The four account for Team RP’s gold medals in this year’s campaign, each worth P1.5 million, including the P500,000 additional package President Arroyo signed last week.

Six silver medalists — billiards’ Jeffrey de Luna, karateka Ma. Marna Pabillore, taekwondo jins Tshomlee Go and Marie Antoinette Rivero, Eduard Folayang of wushu, and Gabica — will receive P800,000 each while the nine bronze medal winners will each get P300,000.

After 15 days of action, the Philippines finished with a 4-6-9 (gold-silver-bronze) medal haul and wound up in 18th place, one rung better than the 2002 RP team in Busan, South Korea.

Thanks to Payla, Tipon and Catalan, whose victories posted in the last few days of the Games averted what had appeared to be a disastrous showing by Filipino bets, who had gone without a gold medal till the 11th day of the 15-day event.

Gabica, who blew a potential gold medal in the 8-ball singles, broke that spell midnight of Day 11 when he secured an all-Filipino duel for the 8-ball singles gold medal against Jeffrey de Luna. He won to hand the Philippines its first gold medal.

Payla won the flyweight crown, Tipon ruled the bantamweight division while Catalan took the -52kg title in wushu’s sanshou event.

The bronze medal winners were boxers Godfrey Castro and Genebert Basadre, golfer Michael Bibat, karateka Noel Espinosa, Fil-Am netters Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, taekwondo jins Manuel Rivero Jr., Kathleen Eunice Alora and Veronica Domingo.

Mamiit, the former world No. 72 on the ATP rankings, was the only other Team RP player who had won two medals as the LA-based player copped two bronzes, one in singles and the other in doubles with Taino.

The rest of the 229-strong contingent which fought against the continent’s best in 31 sports also dished out their best effort but just couldn’t make a podium finish in the face of world-class opposition.

Among the four, however, Gabica emerged as the winningest athlete with P2.3 million, including a silver medal finish in 8-ball.

The Asiad medalists will receive their incentives from Presiden Arroyo on Tuesday in Malacañang.