When it rains, it pours

MANILA, Philippines — For their golden moments in the world stage, commendations and incentives pour in for gymnast Carlos Edriel “Caloy” Yulo and lady boxer Nesthy Petecio.

The world champs stand to receive P1 million each from the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation (MVPSF) aside from the bounty to be handed out by the Philippine Sports Commission.

“Yes, P1 million each for both of them as per MVPSF president Al Panlilio and ABAP president Ricky Vargas,” said MVPSF and ABAP vice president Patrick Gregorio yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Senate is set to honor the two for bringing honor to the country with their respective gold medal victories.

Sen. Sonny Angara said he will file a resolution to cite Petecio and Yulo for their championships.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao considered the victories as a “breath of fresh air” at a time when the nation needs the much needed respite from all the political bickering and endless grumbling on the country’s state of affairs.

Pacquiao said that Yulo and Petecio’s victory also came at a time when the Philippines needs the best motivation for all other Filipino athletes to work and train hard to be able to excel in their chosen sports in preparation for the coming Southeast Asian Games  and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Over the weekend, Carlos and Nesthy gave the entire nation two huge reasons to celebrate with their individual accomplishments in the fields of gymnastics and boxing. They have instilled so much pride in Philippine sports and served as inspiration to our athletes to excel in their respective fields,” Angara said.

Yulo qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after his performance in the 41st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Hans Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany.

His ranking in the men’s individual all around competition gave him a slot in the 2020 Tokyo Games but he also capped this feat with a gold-medal effort in the floor exercise event. He is the first Filipino to win a gold medal in a world gymnastics event.

Last month, pole vaulter EJ Obiena also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after clearing 5.81 meters in an athletics meet in Chiara, Italy. The Olympic standard for pole vault is 5.80 meters.

“We now have at least two qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With the way Yulo and Obiena have performed, we are all looking forward to seeing them compete with the best in the world in the quadrennial games,” Angara said.

In the case of Petecio, she took home the gold medal after beating hometown bet Liudmila Vorontsova in the featherweight division final of the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships last Saturday in Ulan-Ude, Russia.

“During these times when Filipinos are faced with so many challenges and bad news, it is feats like these that give us hope and something to cheer for,” the senator said.