Marcos honors Filipino Olympians; extends PhP50 million cash, Medal of Merit, Presidential Citations

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. honored 22 Filipino Olympians on Tuesday in a solemn ceremony at Malacañan Palace, where he awarded a total of PhP50 million in cash, Medals of Merit, and Presidential Citations.

“Kami naman nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat. Dahil bukod sa medalya – but but of course, you know, Caloy … your performance was just – it deserves two gold medals. And that’s how high a standard that we have reached,” President Marcos said in his speech.

The President awarded P20 million in cash and the Presidential Medal of Merit to double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo.

President Marcos also extended PhP2 million each to bronze medalists Aira Cordero Villegas and Nesthy Alcayde Petecio, and PhP1 million each to other Olympians.

He also gave P1 million each to the rest of the Olympians and P500,000 to their coaching teams.

President Marcos acknowledged the hard work and sacrifices of the athletes and expressed his gratitude to the coaches, trainers, nutritionists, and the parents and loved ones of the Olympians for shaping them into the exceptional athletes they are.

“At alam naman natin na hindi talaga — walang mananalo na atleta na hindi suportado ng katakot-takot na karaming tao na walang iniisip kung papaano kayo tulungan para maging successful. And ito ‘yung ating kinikilala ngayon. At napaka halaga,” President Marcos said.

He also emphasized that the athletes have demonstrated the spirit of the Filipino, the determination of a Filipino, and the excellence of the Filipino spirit.

Before concluding his speech, President Marcos assured the athletes of his commitment to being part of the development of sports in the Philippines, particularly through technical support from the government. P