Speaker Romualdez, solons bat for pension for athletes

LAWMAKERS on Thursday said Congress should honor Filipino sprinter Lydia de Vega by establishing a pension system for national athletes and upgrade their allowances as they condoled with the family of the legendary athlete, who died on Wednesday at 57.

“Lydia de Vega was one of the greatest and the most decorated Filipino athletes,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said. “She brought honor and pride to our country by winning numerous medals in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and Asian Athletics Championships.”

“Her death highlights the need for our government and the private sector to support Filipino athletes not only while they are healthy and physically able to compete but in retirement as well,” the House leader said.

Deputy Majority Leader Alfred de los Santos said despite the glory that De Vega has brought to our country, the current system was not able to give her the full support that she needed in her last few years.

“Providing adequate financial and health-care support for our distinguished national athletes is achievable, now that our economic standing is improving. Allocating for the support and development of our national athletes will always be a good investment,” de los Santos said.

“Financial security for our athletes and their immediate families is a necessary policy that our country should undertake now. We laud the Philippine Sports Commission’s recent focus on fostering financial literacy among athletes. Perhaps these efforts could be bolstered by public-private partnership projects aimed at investing in the financial security of our athletes,” he added.

However, Delos Santos said this problem calls for more than just seminars and tie-ups.

At the level of national legislation, Delos Santos said, it has been seven years since Republic Act No. 10699 or the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act” took effect.

“Since then, inflation and the higher cost of living have caught up with the improvements that RA No. 10699 provided. It is time to update and upgrade the law to make it more responsive to the needs of our athletes,” he said.