For bringing honor to the country with their respective gold-medal victories in two world events, Senator Sonny Angara is set to file two resolutions congratulating gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo, the first Filipino to win a gold medal in a world gymnastics event, and boxer Nesthy Petecio.
Over the weekend, Angara said Yulo and Petecio gave the nation two big reasons to celebrate.
“They have instilled so much pride in Philippine sports and served to inspire our athletes to excel in their respective fields,” Angara said.
Yulo qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after his performance in the 41st FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Hans Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany.
His ranking in the men’s individual all-around competition was what gave him his slot in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but he also capped this feat with a gold-medal victory in the floor exercise event.
Last month, pole vaulter EJ Obiena also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after clearing 5.81 meters in an athletics meet in Chiara, Italy. The Olympic standard for the pole vault is 5.80 meters.
“We now have at least two qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With the way Yulo and Obiena have performed, we are all looking forward to seeing them compete with the best in the world in the quadrennial games,” Angara said.
Petecio took home the gold medal after beating hometown bet Liudmila Vorontsova in the featherweight division final of the 2019 Aiba Women’s World Boxing Championships last Saturday in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Petecio was only the second Filipina to win gold in the 2012 world championships in the featherweight division.
“During these times when Filipinos are faced with so many challenges and bad news, it is feats like these that give us hope and something to cheer for,” Angara said.
The accolades aside, Yulo and Petecio are also entitled to cash incentives provided under Republic Act 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
For qualifying to the Olympics, the 19-year-old Yulo is entitled to receive P500,000.
The Philippine Sports Commission has announced that Yulo will be provided with an additional P500,000 for winning the first-ever gold in gymnastics for the Philippines.
Petecio will receive P1 million for winning gold while fellow boxer Eumir Marcial will get P500,000 for his silver-medal finish in the men’s middleweight division in the same event.
Angara was one of the authors and the sponsor of RA 10699. He has also filed Senate Bill 330 creating the Philippine High School for Sports, which seeks to develop the country’s national athletes while providing them with quality education.
