MANILA – The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) honored the medalists of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games with the latest iPhone 18 models during its fourth General Assembly of the year at the East Ocean Palace in Parañaque City on Thursday.
POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino thanked SportsPlus for providing 49 of the 53 iPhone 18 512gbs – three iPhone Duo for the three gold medalists, 11 iPhone Pro Max for the silver winners, and 35 iPhone Pro for bronze medalists.
“All the athletes that won a medal here are so happy to get a new iPhone 18 model through the help of SportsPlus, and we are all thankful for their generosity. That is a total of PHP7 million because even all members of team sports that won a medal have an iPhone each,” Tolentino said.
The Philippines bagged 29 medals – two golds from Paris Olympics double gold medalist Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and one gold each from EJ Obiena in pole vault and Jeus Yape in taekwondo, and nine silvers and 16 bronze medals in Nagoya.
All medalists got their iPhones, except for Yulo and younger brother Karl Eldrew, who are competing at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in the Netherlands; Obiena, who’s back training in Athens; and Alex Eala, who is in China for the WTA500 Ningbo Open.
“Very thankful I have a new iPhone that I can use, but I will keep my old phone,” Yape said.
The gold medalists will also receive PHP2 million cash incentives each from the government through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
The nine silver winners will have PHP1 million each while the bronze medalists will get PHP400,000 each.
“I will give this iPhone Pro Max to my wife when I come home to Kalinga,” MMA’s Jean Claude Saclag, referring to his nurse wife, Rochelle. “Feeling so blessed with this reward.”
Meanwhile, the POC General Assembly granted regular membership to Pilipinas Climbing, Philippine Kabaddi Federation, and Philippine Mixed Martial Arts Federation. (PNA)