Yulo set to receive at least P750,000 incentive for latest medals

MANILA, Philippines — Christmas will come early for Filipino gymnast Caloy Yulo as he stands to receive a windfall for his feats in the World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan over the weekend.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez on Monday lauded the 21-year-old Yulo for bringing home a gold medal in the vault and a silver in the parallel bars in 50th edition of the annual meet that the former believes merits an incentive.

“Very happy for Caloy and his coaches, the GAP (Gymnastics Association of the Philippines) leadership and his parents,” said Ramirez. “Sayang yung floor exercise and (parallel) bars, tatlong gold sana and perhaps P3 million din iyon.”

The PSC board will meet anytime this week to decide how much Yulo will receive but reports have it that the Southeast Asian Games gold medalist will pocket incentives ranging from P750,000 to Php1.5 million, including an amount somewhere P250,000 to P500,000 for his silver.

Yulo had received Php1 million when he copped the floor exercise gold in Stuttgart, Germany two years ago and P250,000 for his bronze also in the floor exercise in Doha in 2018.

He was also a recipient of Php1.1 million from the PSC, President Duterte, the Manny V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation (MVPSF) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) despite ending up without a medal in the Tokyo Games.

It was the same amount received by the other Filipino Olympian non-medalists.

PSC executive director Atty. Guillermo Iroy clarified that the reason Yulo received P1 million in Stuttgart was because P500,000 of it came as incentive for qualifying to the Tokyo Olympics.

Based on law, only Filipino athletes who snares a mint in a world-level event held every two years and participated in by at least 45 countries will receive an incentive worth Php1 million for gold and P500,000 for a silver.

The World Artistic Gymnastics Championship, which drew participation from 56 countries, however, is a yearly affair that may deny Yulo from receiving the full amount.

But the PSC is known for rewarding its athletes who excelled internationally and there were reports it will give Yulo at least P750,000 — P500,000 for the gold and P250,000 for the silver.

Or the PSC could end up being more generous and hand out the reward in full the P1.5 million in full as prescribed by law.