THE blessings continue to pour for the country’s 19 Tokyo Olympic Games veterans, who will receive an additional $5,000 (around P250,000) each in allowances from the Philippine Sports Commission in recognition of the most successful Philippine Olympic stint in 97 years of participation in quadrennial global sports festival.
Led by PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez, Commissioners Charles Maxey, Ramon Fernandez, Celia Kiram and Engr. Arnold Agustin, the agency approved the additional stipends last Tuesday afternoon, which is on top of the $1,000 the national campaigners received for competing in Tokyo.
Ramirez said the same amount will also be given to the coaches and support staff of the 19 athletes who were in the Japanese capital where history was madeas they brought home one gold, two silvers and one bronze medal.
Weightlifter Hidylin Diaz garnered the precious gold, ending the country 97-yeargold medal drought at the Games. Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam contributed silvers apiece and Eumir Felix Marcial had a bronze.
Diaz received P10 million from the PSC under Republic Act 10699, the incentives law, and another P5 million for setting Olympic records of 127 and 224 kilograms, respectively, in the clean-and-jerk and combined lifts on the way to garnering the gold.
The other members of the national contingent were pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, sprinter Kristina Knott, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, boxer Irish Magno, rower Cris Nievares, skateboarder Margielyn Arda Didal, shooter Jayson Valdez, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, taekwondo jinKurt Ryan Barbosa, weightlifter Elreen Ann Ando, swimmers Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule and golfers Juvic Pagunsan, Yuka Saso and Bianca Pagdanganan.
