The Muntinlupa City government has increased the monthly allowance of its Class A athletes who represent the city in local and international competitions.
Ordinance 2024-164, passed by the Muntinlupa City Council, was signed by Mayor Ruffy Biazon on April 11.
19th Asian Games medalists and Muntinlupa residents Annie Ramirez and Kaila Napolis (Photo from Mayor Biazon's Facebook account)
Under the ordinance, a Class A athlete is someone who has shown excellence in sports and is representing Muntinlupa in regional, national, international and invitational competitions including the Olympics, Asian Games, SEA Games, world championships, Philippine National Games national finals, Philippine Youth Games, and Palarong Pambansa.
For 2024, Class A athletes from the years 2022 to 2023 will receive a monthly allowance of P1,000 while additional athletes will start from P500 per month.
For 2025, Class A athletes of 2023 will get P1,500 per month; P2,000 per month in 2026; P2,500 per month in 2027; and P3,000 per month in 2028.
The allowance can be used by athletes to buy food and medicine, transportation, equipment for training, playing uniform and other expenses for their studies, the ordinance stated.
The criteria for the selection of Class A athletes are: should be a resident of Muntinlupa for at least one year during the time of his training or joining a competition; recommended by the coach; and those who represent Muntinlupa who win gold, silver and bronze medals in international, national, regional and invitational competitions certified by the Philippine Sports Commission, National Sports Association, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education and International Sports Federation.
The Class A athletes should belong to the following sports: arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, gymnastics, judo, swimming, taekwondo and other sports that may be included in the Sports Training Program of the city’s Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office (YASDO) in the future. Those chosen are required to attend training and undergo drug tests.