Press Release
February 15, 2016

BIGGER CASH INCENTIVES AWARDED TO WINNING FILIPINO ATHLETES WITH DISABILITY - ANGARA

Filipino athletes with disability who won in the 8th ASEAN Para Games finally received their cash incentives as provided under Republic Act 10699 or an Act Expanding the Coverage of Incentives Granted to National Athletes and Coaches.

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on games, amusement and sports, together with the Philippine Sports Commission, headed by its chairman Richard Garcia, and the Philippine Sports Association for Disabled Athletes, headed by its president Mike Barredo, led the awarding of incentives to the Para Games medalists last week at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

"It's high time we properly recognize the triumphs of our outstanding differently-abled athletes who have been heaping medals and bringing pride and honor to the country. This is truly a memorable occasion as this is the first batch of national para-athletes who will be receiving bigger, well-deserved incentives under the new athletes incentives law which we--all the stakeholders and our colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives, namely Cong. Albert Del Rosario, Cong. Wes Gatchalian and Cong. Yeng Guiao--worked hard to pass," said Angara, author and sponsor of RA 10699.

The Philippine team, who bagged 59 medals--16 gold, 17 silver, and 26 bronze medals--from the 8th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore in December last year, were entitled to a total of P6.8 million in cash incentives.

Under the new law, ASEAN Para Games gold medalists will get P150,000 each, the silver medalists P75,000 each, and the bronze medalists P30,000 each, while the coaches stand to get cash incentives equivalent to half of the amount the winning athletes will receive.

Prior to the enactment of RA 10699, winning differently-abled athletes were granted only token incentives. In 2010, gold medalists received P15,000 while silver and bronze medal winners earned P10,000 and P5,000 respectively.

Aside from the recognition of athletes with disability as national athletes, the new law also updates and raises the cash incentives--amount of which were mostly doubled--awarded to winning athletes and coaches.

"The term 'national athletes' should encompass all athletes including those who are differently-abled. Tayong lahat ay saksi sa kanilang paulit-ulit na patunay na hindi naging hadlang ang kanilang limitasyon sa pagbibigay ng dangal at karangalan sa bansa," said the senator, who has also worked for the Congress' passage of a bill, now awaiting the President's signature, exempting persons with disability from value-added tax.

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