Filipino olympian Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco is still hoping to receive the 2.5 million incentive promised to him twenty years after he won a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.
In a media interview, Velasco said:
“I received an initial P750,000 from the government but they also passed a bill where I was to receive P2.5 million. Former House Speaker Joe Devencia assured me of this and said that it just needs re-affirming from the Senate. The problem is the Senate underwent a change in leadership from Neptali Gonzales to [the now late] Ernesto Maceda. When I spoke to Maceda, he said that the paperwork got lost.”
Velasco received an additional P1.2 million from the Sports Benefits and Incentives Act during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“Wala naman tayong problema pero mahirap yung nangako tapos wala. Para tayong pinaasa. Siyempre meron tayong mga plano tulad magtayo ng boxing gym at mag-train ng mga bagong fighter,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said he would look into the case since the current law no longer applies to the 42-year-old former boxing champ.
Meanwhile, Hidilyn Diaz, who earned the third silver medal for the country, returned to a hero’s welcome in Manila on Thursday. She will a receive a P5 million in cash from the PSC as incentive for in the Rio Olympics.