PARIS —Fresh from its participation in the 17th Paralympic Games, the Philippine team will receive a heroes’ welcome from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The six Paralympians – archer Agustina Bantiloc, taekwondo’s Allain Ganapin, wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, javelin thrower Cendy Asusano, and swimmers Angel Otom and Ernie Gawilan – will be honored with a courtesy call at Malacañang Palace on Thursday, September 12, 2024, two days after their return from Paris.
“Our President is very supportive and recognizes the efforts of our athletes,” said Philippine Paralympic Committee president Michael Barredo.
The national para athletes will be feted in a special gathering, led by President Marcos, similar to the recognition given to the Philippine Olympic team last month.
“We express our gratitude to the President for his unwavering support. Our Chief Executive has made us feel truly special,” said Barredo.
“While our para athletes fell short of reaching the podium at the Paris Paralympics, we are immensely proud of their valiant efforts. Now, it’s time to reassess our strategies and establish a clear pathway for para sports development, from grassroots participation to the elite level, especially among the youth and women,” said Barredo.
From their training and preparation to their participation in Paris, the six Paralympians and the entire Philippine delegation received full support from the Philippine Sports Commission, headed by Chairman Richard Bachmann.
PPC secretary general Goody Custodio, PPC director for para sports development Milette Bonoan, and Team Philippines chef de mission Ral Rosario were also instrumental in supporting the Paralympians throughout the two-week competition.
“By leveraging local and national events like the Palarong Pambansa, Batang Pinoy, Philippine National Games, and Training the Trainers, we aim to identify, classify, and nurture talent across the country,” said Barredo.
“This approach, combined with adequate funding, will expand our national training pool, allowing us to select more athletes and strengthen our representation in international competitions such as the ASEAN and Asian Para Games, and the Paralympic Games,” added Barredo.
During the parade of nations in the opening ceremony, the Philippines was acknowledged for providing substantial cash incentives to its medal-winning para athletes, a practice that Canada has recently adopted in its Paralympic program.
“We are working with Congress to increase the cash incentives for our medal-winning para athletes to match those received by our Olympic athletes,” said Bachmann.
“We are also helping institutionalize the Para PNG (Philippine National Games) to develop a younger pool of athletes for future selection,” added Bachmann.
Before the Paralympians departed from Manila, President Marcos sent his well wishes, telling them that the “whole nation is with you and that you are already champions in our eyes.”
