
ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. has committed to accelerating the disbursement of cash incentives for Iloilo athletes – and their coaches, assistant coaches, chaperones, and trainers – who won medals in the recent Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association (WVRAA) Meet.
Provided all the documentary requirements are validated and completed, the incentives may be released by next week, said Defensor.
Funding is not an issue, he added, as the provision for cash incentives has been institutionalized through Provincial Ordinance No. 2020-217. This ordinance mandates rewards and recognition for athletes and their teams who excel in sports competitions recognized by the Department of Education, the Philippine Sports Commission, and the Philippines Olympic Committee.
Beyond monetary rewards, Defensor thanked the Schools Division Office of Iloilo Province, the 42 municipalities and component city of Passi, parents, and everyone involved in training Iloilo’s athletes.
Iloilo emerged the overall champion for the second consecutive year at the WVRAA, harvesting 218 gold, 159 silver and 111 bronze medals.
“I would like to thank them for their cooperation, especially during the time when we were just trying to strengthen our delegation through our varsity program and our development league,” Defensor said.
He believes that the non-stop exposure to sports through various programs implemented by the provincial government and SDO-Iloilo Province has been instrumental in preparing the youth for competitions like the Congressional District Sports Association Meet, WVRAA, and eventually the Palarong Pambansa.
“Winning here is not just about the medals; it’s also about the values formation that we aim to foster through sports,” said Defensor.
Under Provincial Ordinance No. 2020-217, WVRAA medalists will be receiving the following:
Athletes
* Gold – P5,000
* Silver – P3,000
* Bronze – P2,000
Coaches
* Gold – P5,000
* Silver – P3,000
* Bronze – P2,000
Assistant Coaches
* Gold – P3,000
* Silver – P2,5000
* Bronze – P2,000
Trainers
* Gold – P5,000
* Silver – P3,000
* Bronze – P2,000
Chaperones
* Gold – P2,000
* Silver – P1,500
* Bronze – P1,000
Iloilo had a total of 837 delegates to the WVRAA (Elementary, Secondary, Paragames, and Demo Sports)./PN