Frankly, for several days, I was a bit bothered by the information provided by our editor in chief Neil about differently-abled athletes, receiving only 50% of the incentives enjoyed by “regular” national athletes who won medals in international tournaments.
The “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act” was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2015, which I believe, after eight years needed to be improved.
With the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games fast approaching, a “regular” national athlete winning a gold medal can receive P300,000 and a differently-abled champion in the ASEAN Para Games will win P150,000. Silver medalists will get P150,000 as a “regular” national athlete and P75,000 for the differently-abled national athlete.
I clearly emphasized the word “national”, repeatedly, to bring home the point that all of them are actually “national athletes”.
I remember one afternoon at the Almendras gym where the National Amateur Boxing Championships were held through the efforts of ABAP-XI regional president Councilor Bing Reta and senior advisor Congressman Nonoy Garcia, Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Manny Lopez was talking about the importance of wearing the official uniforms of a national athlete.
Once a Filipino athlete qualifies to represent the country to an international competition, he is accorded the right to wear the country’s official colors. Our proud flag is prominently shown on the left side of the jacket, close to our heart.
That is how we respect our national flag and the people we represent.
National athletes are our elite sports competitors and they have made all the sacrifices to achieve it.
That afternoon as a young sportswriter, I understood the importance of wearing the national colors as an athlete.
So, what then is the difference of Henry Lopez, a para-athlete in chess, to Sydney Tancontian, a regular national athlete in the sport of sambo?
Nothing, right?
Both of them train well and compete internationally, both of team wear the country’s official uniforms and both of them are national athletes. Both of them are Filipinos. Both of them are humans.
So unsay deperensiya lagi? Wala, di ba?
Therefore, the logic behind giving 50 percent less to another national athlete is illogical. Right?
No offense meant to the lawmakers that crafted that Act.
But it is about time to amend that Incentives Act.
All national athletes are equal. Period.
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