To last a lifetime

One that will last a lifetime.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) yesterday announced that it has arranged a bigger incentive package that would go to any Filipino athlete who wins a medal — of any color — in the forthcoming Athens Olympics.

"We will give them something that will set them for life," said PSC chairman Eric Buhain during the weekly PSA Forum at the Manila Pavilion.

Under Republic Act 9064, a Filipino who wins a gold medal in the Olympics stands to receive P5 million. A silver medallist gets P2.5 million while a bronze medallist receives P1 million.

Buhain said President Arroyo and Samsung, a Korean firm that has thrown its full support to the RP sports, have agreed to match the cash incentives that await medal winners as provided by law.

"We all know that the President is always ready to help our athletes. The same goes with Samsung," said Buhain.

The PSC, he said, is also planning to give medal winners pension plans, permanent jobs for their families or educational plans for their children.

Boxer Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco is the last Filipino athlete to win a medal in the Olympics. He took the silver in 1996 in Atlanta and has lived a very different life ever since.

Velasco received millions in pesos in cash incentives and got even more from the private sector, like a house and lot from Viologo Homes and a brand-new all-terrain vehicle from Nissan. He was also honored by Congress.

Velasco’s silver medal in the lightflyweight (48 kgs) division also opened the doors for a lot of endorsement deals, movie contracts and a permanent stint in show business — as a comedian.

Meanwhile, the Filipino athletes’ training and preparations for the Athens Olympics set Aug. 13-29 are now in full swing, according to Buhain.

"They’re all in high spirits. I’m a firm optimist and I think they’re doing very well — from the qualification process to the preparation level," said Buhain.

Buhain said the PSC spent at least P12 million for the different Olympic qualifying tournaments since last year and has allocated almost the same amount for the training of those who’ve qualified. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will shoulder the rest of the expenses — from plane fare to board and lodging.

"It’s the POC that’s really on top of the situation," said Buhain, whose task is limited to overseeing the training of the 14 Filipino athletes seeing action in Athens. The latest to qualify and earn the right to represent the country is Fil-American swimmer James Bernard Waish.