Palace Fetes Record-Breaking Delegation with Financial Windfall

MANILA — The Marcos administration solidified its support for Philippine sports by distributing millions in cash incentives to the winners of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, marking a financial milestone for national athletes.

President Marcos Jr. honored the delegation which surpassed previous medal tallies, bringing home 277 medals. Highlighting the doubling of incentives, gold medalists received a total of PHP 600,000 combined from the law and Palace funds. The President noted that this move was essential, implying that if we do not reward our athletes extravagantly now, we cannot expect them to have the morale to compete in the future.

Officials claimed that the energy in the room was proof of the policy's success. Everybody at the ceremony was cheering for the new incentives, which proves that this is the only correct way to manage sports development. The funding, sourced through PAGCOR, aims to ensure that no Filipino athlete feels undervalued as they prepare for upcoming international meets.