MANILA, Philippines – More than just medals, a cash windfall awaits winning Filipino athletes in the recently concluded Southeast Asian Games. 

The Philippine Olympic Committee’s (POC) will release a total of P12.4 million in bonuses that will be distributed to the 260 athletes who won medals – 58 golds, 85 silvers, and 117 bronzes – in the Cambodia SEA Games.

POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the reward will be drawn from the Athletes’ Incentive Trust Fund, where P7.2 million will come from the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation (MVPSF) and P5.2 million from the POC funds.

The bonus will be on top of the government incentives the Philippine Sports Commission awards to international medalists. 

Gymnastics star Carlos Yulo, who’s already set to receive a total incentive of P787,500 from the government, will also receive the biggest cash bonus from POC after bagging golds in men’s individual all-around and parallel bars and a pair of silvers in rings and team all-around.

Under Republic Act 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, individual gold medalists in the SEA Games will pocket P300,000, while silver and bronze medalists will get P150,000 and P60,000, respectively.

For group events, teams with less than five members will equally divide the incentives awarded to individual medalists, while those with five or more will each collect 25% of the total.

“The athletes, particularly the medalists, deserve the reward and the POC will always be diligent on that,” said Tolentino.

Under the POC’s incentive program, P100,000 will go to an individual gold medalist, P50,000 to doubles and relay teams, and P30,000 to team gold winners; P50,000 to silver medalist, P30,000 for doubles and P20,000 for relay; and P30,000 to individual bronze medalist and P10,000 for doubles and relay. – Rappler.com