CVIRAA: Cebu City to release athletes’ incentives after election ban ends
Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia poses with a group photo with the Cebu City athletes. | Photo from the Cebu City PIO [FILE]
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on Friday, April 11, confirmed that the city will begin processing the release of the long-overdue cash incentives on May 21, immediately after the election spending ban ends, in order to comply with national regulations.
“Naghatag na ko nila [Local School Board] og directive during the thanksgiving dinner pag April 8… Inig human sa election ban, they should already process the incentives. Ang akong gihatag nila nga date is May 21,” Garcia told CDN Digital.
(I already gave them a directive [Local School Board] a directive during the thanksgiving dinner on April 8… that after the election ban, they should already process the incentives. The date that I set for them is May 21.)
READ: Cebu City CVIRAA medalists: Mayor Garcia to give them cash incentives
The release, which will no longer require City Council approval, will be sourced from the Local School Board’s trust fund.
Garcia said that the disbursement would only require a local school board resolution, as the local school board operates under a separate account. This setup enables the city to bypass legislative deliberations, allowing for a faster and more efficient distribution process.
“Dili na ni muagi sa council. Local school board resolution na lang siya… it’s a trust fund, so dili na ta kinahanglan og council deliberation,” he said.
(This will go through the council. It will just be through the Local school board resolution…it’s a trust fund, so we don’t need a council deliberation.)
The Cebu City Niños dominated the 2025 CVIRAA Meet in Bayawan City, reclaiming their overall championship with an impressive haul of 105 gold, 89 silver, and 73 bronze medals.
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The victory ensured the city’s strong representation in the upcoming 2025 Palarong Pambansa, which will be held in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, from May 24 to June 2.
During his March 24 speech celebrating the city’s win, Garcia was visibly moved upon learning that past administrations had not provided any form of incentive to the city’s student-athletes, despite their consistent triumphs.
“Nakadawat ba mo og incentives sa CVIRAA? Never! No mayor gave you incentives in the past?” Garcia asked the medalists during the event.
(Have you received incentives for the CVIRAA? Never! No mayor gave you incentives in the past?)
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Upon hearing confirmation from the crowd, the mayor immediately pledged that his administration would rectify this.
“At this point in time, I’m going to instruct our city administrator that next week, the City of Cebu will release the incentives for all medalists,” he said.
Breakdown of incentives
Under Cebu City’s new incentive scheme, individual medalists will receive cash rewards of P5,000 for gold, P3,000 for silver, and P2,000 for bronze medals.
For team sports, the incentives are higher, with gold medalists receiving P10,000, silver medalists P7,000, and bronze medalists P5,000.
Coaches of winning athletes will also be given corresponding cash incentives, although the specific amounts have yet to be disclosed.
The financial aid is designed not only to reward outstanding athletic achievements but also to boost morale as Cebu City athletes prepare to represent Region 7 in the upcoming Palarong Pambansa./ with reports from Glendale Rosal
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