A BILL seeking to provide a lifetime pension as well as retirement, healthcare, and death benefits to Filipino international sports champions has been filed
at the House of Representatives to recognize the glory and honor that exceptional athletes have brought to the country.
House Bill No. 5161 authored by Deputy Speaker Paolo Duterte, Benguet Rep. Eric Yap and Rep. Edvic Yap (PL, ACT-CIS) provides that professional athletes eligible for the benefits are those “who win world championship titles in international professional sports competitions or in other equally prestigious world championship games.”
“It is high time that we support our athletes, not just at the podium, but even beyond all their glory,” said the bill, which provides for the creation of a Professional Filipino Athletes Welfare Development Trust Fund to be administered by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) for the continued upgrading of sports training facilities so that these conform with international standards.
The trust fund shall also be used for the accreditation of, and other forms of support to, the professional athletes’ sector.
The bill cited the case of the late Filipino sports icon Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who was recognized as “Asia’s Sprint Queen of the 1980s” and was a multi-time gold medalist in the Asian Games, Asian Athletics Championships and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Before passing away on August 10 last year after a long battle with cancer, De Vega’s family called for prayers and financial help from the public to aid them in shouldering her medical treatment as they were not aware of any fund or assistance available for Filipino athletes to turn to during times of extreme need.
Under the measure, professional athletes who win in individual events in international sports competitions shall receive a lifetime monthly pension of at least P15,000 by the time they reach the age of 50 while winners in team events are entitled to a lifetime monthly pension of at least P10,000.
The measure also states that the retirement benefits for individual events shall apply for athletes who emerge as champions in both individual and team efforts.
