ZAMBOANGA
CITY - Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar yesterday commended five
Zamboangueño athletes for giving the city an honor in the field of
international sports after they reaped medals from the 27th
Southeast Asian Games held on Dec. 11-22, 2013 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
The athletes are Hidilyn Diaz and Margarito Angana
Jr., both silver medalists in Women’s Wresting and Wrestling Greco Roman Men’s
55 kg., respectively; Joseph Angana, bronze medalist in Wresting Freestyle
Category Men’s 66 kg., Jhonny Morte, bronze medalist in Wrestling Freestyle
Category Men’s 60 kg., and Iris Rañola, bronze medalist in Women’s 10-Ball Pool
Single.
City Sports Officer Bernardito Patiño presented the
athletes to Mayor Climaco during the flag raising ceremony yesterday morning at
the City Hall grounds.
He said the athletes are entitled to cash incentives
from the city government pursuant to an ordinance granting monetary benefits to
local athletes who can reap medals from local, national and international
sports competitions.
The grant of cash incentives is part of the city’s
government’s sports development program aimed at attracting the youths to play
and excel in sports of their choice, thereby keeping them away from
unproductive, let alone criminal activities.
Under the cash incentive ordinance, the city
government will give P100 thousand and P75 thousand for silver medal and bronze
medal, respectively, from the international sports competition such as the
recently concluded Southeast Asian Games.
The city is now processing the necessary documents
for the cash incentives of the named athletes. (Vic Larato)