Region 8 sports meet winners get cash incentives

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, March 14 (PNA) -- The city government and Department of Education (DepEd) Ormoc City Division gave out almost PHP1 million in cash incentives to athletes and coaches that reaped medals at the Eastern Visayas Athletic Association (EVRAA) meet.

Ormoc hosted the school-based sports meet last Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, 2016.

The Ormoc division placed third in this year’s annual sporting event, hauling 41 gold 43 silver and 52 bronze medals in all 17 regular and five demo sports events.

This is the first time that the LGU gave out incentives to EVRAA-winning athletes to inspire them to give their best performance at the Palarong Pambansa on April 10-16 in Legazpi City, Albay.

The LGU gave PHP20,000 to teams that won gold medals, PHP18,000 for silver and PHP3,000 for bronze. For individual athletes, it gave PHP5,000 for every gold, PHP3,000 for every silver and PHP2,000 for every bronze medals. The city government further gave PHP3,000 each to 41 coaches (17 elementary, 24 high school) of the winning teams and athletes.

On the other hand, DepEd also released its counterpart incentives, giving PHP7,000 to winning teams that earned gold, PHP5,000 for silver and PHP3,500 for bronze medals. For individual athletes, 

DepEd gave PHP1,500 for every gold, PHP900 for every silver and PHP700 for every bronze medal won. It did not include the coaches in the incentives.

The city government spent PHP836,000 for the endeavor (PHP382,000 for elementary and PHP454,000 for high school) which it sourced from the sports development fund of the mayor’s office. On the other hand, DepEd spent PHP139,600 for the incentives which it sourced from the city’s Special Education Fund.

For the elementary division, the teams that won gold medals are in football boys and swimming girls (4x50 meter breaststroke and 4x50 medley relay). The girls swimming team also won a silver medal in the 4x100 meter medley relay (MR).

For the secondary division, the teams that won gold are in boys basketball, boys sepak takraw and girls volleyball. Girls futsal is the only team that won a silver medal. Hauling bronzes are the teams from girls athletics, girls swimming, and girls basketball.

The individual athlete in the elementary level who hauled the most medals is arnis player Ann Julia Aseo who won golds in the solo and espada y daga categories as well as silvers insolo baston and doble baston. She received PHP16,000 from the LGU and PHP4,800 from DepEd or a total of PHP20,800.

The most bemedalled individual athletes in the secondary level are Ejaymark Castillo and Christopher Horca also from the arnis team. Castillo won golds in the solo baston, bantamweight and likha anyo espada y daga categories while for Horca, it’s the solo baston, doble baston and bantamweight.

Horca and Castillo received PHP15,000 from the LGU and PHP4,500 from DepEd or a total PHP19,500 each. Mayor Edward Codilla congratulated the athletes and reminded them not to neglect their studies. “My advice to you athletes is not to concentrate only in sports but also to your studies,” he said. (PNA)

JMC/SQM/FNC/EGR