PHILIPPINE Sports Commission Chairman Noli Eala appealed to lawmakers last Monday during a Senate hearing to amend Republic Act 10699, the incentives law, so that national para athletes would receive the same benefits and incentives being given to their able-bodied counterparts.
“We need the aid of our lawmakers in making amendments to Republic Act 10699 regarding the benefits and incentives given to our national para athletes due to the limitations of the law,” Eala said during the Senate Finance Committee hearing presided over by co-chair Sen. Bong Go.
The issue was raised by Go, also the chairman of the Senate Sports Committee, noting that national para athletes are not being given the same support and prominence as their able-bodied counterpars despite the fact they also bring honor and glory to the country.
“Mukhang nao-overlook ang mga para athletes natin,” Go observed in the course of the deliberations regarding the PSC budget for 2023.
Among those who have been vocal about the disparity is national para swimmer and 2018 Asian Para Games triple gold medalist Ernie Gawilan, who has batted for the same cash incentives as the able-bodied national campaigners “kasi pareho din lang naman kaming nagbibigay ng karangalan sa bansa.”
Eala said as much as they want to give the same support and benefits to the national para athletes “we are unable to do so due to the limitations of the law (RA 10699). Mas malaki po ang maibibigay naming benefits if there are amendments to the law.”
Based on the law, there are is a vast difference between the incentives that national athletes receive compared to their physically-challenged counterparts.
For example, an Olympic gold medalist gets a P10 million bonus while a Paralympic champion only receives P5 million.
An Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games gold medalist gets P2 million and P300,000, respectively, while Asian Para Games and Asean Para Games champions are merely getting P1 million and P150,000 each.
