Sotto to donate P1.6M incentive to youth sports

MANILA, Philippines - Here’s one from Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, also an actor, musician, golfer and professional bowler rolled into one.

The 62-year-old Sotto said the other day he’s giving up the P1.6 million cash incentive he’s bound to receive from the government for coaching Bong Coo to the gold medal in the Asian Games.

Sotto, a former member of the Philippine bowling team, also turned to coaching, and was behind Coo when she won the gold in the Masters, once, and Individual All-Events, twice, in the Asiad.

Coo won three other team event golds in the Asian Games of 1978 in Bangkok and 1986 in Seoul. Each individual gold in the Asian Game is worth P1 million under Republic Act 9064.

Coaches of the winning athletes stand to receive 50 percent of the athletes’ incentives, and the Philippine Sports Commission recently released more than P10 million for the coaches alone.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia said he bumped into the senator last Friday during the traditional “vin d’honneur” at Malacanang.

“He (Sotto) said he will just donate his incentives to the youth,” said Garcia.

“I think what he meant was for the sports programs in golf and bowling. But it will be for sports -- which is good. I was just thinking of it when I saw him but he beat me to the draw. Naunahan ako,” added the PSC chief.