National athlete incentives explained
With the recent silver medal finish of Hidilyn Diaz at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Filipinos have once again become emboldened with pride. Along with the glory of being an Olympic medalist, there are other perks that a recognized National athlete can get.
PINOY PRIDE. Hidilyn Diaz, the first Filipina to win a medal at the Olympics, is set to receive a P5-million cash incentive and a house and lot. Photo grabbed from ABS-CBN News.
The most-talked about incentive that Diaz will receive is the P5-million cash incentive for bringing home the silver medal in the 53-kg weight class for women’s weightlifting. Apart from the cash incentive, she will reportedly receive a house and lot from 8990 Deca Homes.
She could also be in line for endorsement deals and a possible career in showbiz if she takes the same path as the last Filipino to win an Olympic medal, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco.
These incentives are easy to understand if you’ve followed the National team, but for those who are new, here’s an easy-to-understand explainer on how our national athletes are rewarded for their efforts:
1. Cash incentives. If you’re a Filipino who represented the country and won in a regular international sports competition, you’re in line to receive at most P10 million and an Olympic Gold Medal of Valor for a gold-medal finish at the Summer or Winter Olympics. Silver nets you P5 million, while bronze gets you a cool P2 million.
2. All national athletes are entitled to a 20% discount from ANY establishment in the country that they will use exclusively, i.e. only for them. This means a 20% discount whenever a national athlete uses transportation, lodging, eats at a restaurant, uses a recreation center, or buys medicine and sports equipment. This also includes admission fees charged by theaters, cinema houses, concert halls, circuses, carnivals, and other similar places of culture, leisure and amusement.
3. Scholarship, retirement, and death benefits. National athletes who win in a regular international sports competition are entitled to a full tuition scholarship at state colleges and universities. They are also given a lump sum amount equal to 25% of all of their cash incentives since they started with the national training pool, as well as a P30,000 lump sum benefit for their funeral services.
Coaches and trainers also get similar benefits, albeit in smaller amounts. All of these are outlined in Republic Act (R.A.) 10699, or the National Athletes, Coaches, and Trainers Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001 (or the Sports Benefits and Incentives Act of 2001 if it’s a bit too long).
Apart from these incentives, Congress also re-introduced the idea of having all winning Filipino Olympians be tax-free citizens for life, as well as receive a monthly pension of P10,000 5 years after winning a medal at the Olympics. Filed as House Bill 1480 last July 12, 2016, this proposes an amendment to R.A. 10699, which repealed R.A. 9064 or the old version of the Sports Benefits and Incentives Act.
To date, Diaz is the only one who’s in line to receive the cash incentive. Other athletes still in contention are Eric Cray (men’s 400m hurdles), Jasmine Alkhaldi (women’s 100m freestyle), Miguel Tabuena (golf), Kristie Alora (taekwondo, women’s over 67 kg), Marestella Sunang (women’s long jump), Mary Joy Tabal (women’s marathon), and Kodo Nakano, who will be competing tonight at 9pm in the Men’s 81-kg weight class for judo.
Source: Spin.ph, Interaksyon.com, GMA News Online, Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer
