House bill eyes lifetime pension, other benefits for Filipino sports champions

A bill providing for lifetime pension as well as retirement, healthcare, death benefit to professional Filipino athletes who emerged champions in international sports competitions has been filed in the House of Representatives.

Representatives Paolo Duterte of Davao city, Eric Yap of Benguet and Edvic Yap of ACT-CIS party-list made the proposal under their House Bill 5161, saying provision of such benefits is the proper way to recognize the efforts of athletes who brought glory and honor to the country.

Under the bill,  professional Filipino athletes will be eligible for the benefits provided they “win world championship titles in international professional sports competitions or in other equally prestigious world championship games.”

Likewise, the bill creates a Professional Filipino Athletes Welfare Development Trust Fund to be administered by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

The said Trust Fund will then be used for the continued upgrading of sports training facilities as well as accreditation and providing other forms of support to the professional athletes’ sector.

The bill grants professional athletes who emerge champions in individual events in international sports competitions a lifetime monthly pension of at least P15,000 by the time they reach the age of 50. 

For champions in team events, the bill provides for a lifetime monthly pension of at least P10,000.

The retirement benefits for individual events will also apply for athletes who emerge as champions in team events.

“Before all their triumphs, athletes go through extreme lengths and dedicate most of their years in training to be the best at what they do. They train under high expectations and high-intensity environments, which make them more vulnerable to exhaustion, burnout, physical injuries and psychological distress,” the bill said.

“It is high time that we support our athletes, not just at the podium, but even beyond all their glory,” they added.

The lawmakers cited the case of the late Filipino sports icon Lydia de Vega-Mercado,  once dubbed the “Asia’s Sprint Queen of the 1980s” and was a multi-time gold medalist in the Asian Games, Asian Athletics Championships and Southeast Asian (SEA)  Games.

De Vega-Mercado passed away in August 2022 following a long battle with  breast cancer, but her family had to seek financial help from the public to aid them in shouldering her medical treatment prior to her death.

Health care benefits under HB 5161 include the standard benefits provided by the  Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) and financial aid provided by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

In addition, House Bill 5161 provides that hospital expenses incurred by the athlete in excess of the Philhealth benefit shall be shouldered by the PCSO under its Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP).

The bill also provides a death benefit of P50,000 to the primary or secondary beneficiaries of deceased sports champions.

As for the trust fund, the bill provides that an amount “not less than 80 percent for the first five years accrued from the licensing, registration and accreditation fees, fines and charges”  imposed by the GAB shall be used for the fund. 

The trust fund may also accept grants and donations from national and foreign entities and individuals, according to the bill. — Llanesca T. Panti/RSJ, GMA Integrated News