Rallying behind the taekwondo squad's bid to end the Philippines' quest for a first Olympic gold medal, Petron Corp. offered a cash incentive of P200,000 to each jinn who wins gold in the coming Sydney Games.
Petron president Khalid Al-Falih made the commitment to the Philippine Taekwondo Association, saying: "We are more than happy to do this in exchange for the honor of bringing pride to the country."
Petron has been supporting the Philippine taekwondo team since the Asian regional qualifying tournament held last year in Manila.
Four jinns in flyweight Roberto Cruz, welterweight Donald David Geisler, flyweight Eva Marie Ditan and featherweight Jasmin Strachan gained Olympic berths and had competed in the World Cup in France to prime up for the Olympics.
PTA president Robert Aventajado, who is President Estrada's flagship programs secretary, is confident that the four will be ripe for the Olympics after a long training in Korea and a number of international exposures supported by Petron. -