Batac fetes superb athletes, academic awardees

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Batac City—The city government here celebrated its outstanding athletes and academic awardees.

In a bid to institutionalize this, the Sangguniang Panlungsod here passed an ordinance that honors and recognizes outstanding performances of Batac pupils and students in sports and academic contests.

The ordinance also features an incentive program for the awardees.

Batac councilor Medeldorf Gaoat, chairperson of the committee on education, said deserving pupils and students who earned regional and national awards in the field of sports deserves to receive cash incentives from the city government.

Mr. Gaoat added that this program came about after Batac athletes garnered numerous achievements after the separation of the schools’ division here in competing in the Region 1 Athletic Association (R1AA) meet.

The incentives are for individual events: PHP3,000, PHP2,500, and PHP2,000 for the gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively; for duo/doubles: PHP5,000, PHP4,000, and PHP3,000 for gold, silver and bronze medalists; while for trio/triple, they will receive PHP6,000, PHP4,500 and PHP3,000.

The city government will also give cash incentives to teams of at least 4 members but not more than 8. The incentives are PHP1,000, PHP900, and PHP800 for each member of the team that finishes in the top three.

For teams that feature 9 or more members, the incentives are PHP800, PHP700, and PHP600 for each member.

As for athletes selected to represent Region I in the Palarong Pambansa and who finish in the medal circle, the athletes will receive double the amount mentioned earlier. They will also receive a citation from the council.

Mr. Gaoat explained further that the Batac schools’ division will recommend the athletes for the incentives.

Funding for said program will come from the city’s annual budget under the youth and sports development fund, particularly in the awards and incentives fund for athletes with an appropriated amount of PHP300,000 every year. A supplemental appropriation shall likewise authorized when the fund allocated is not enough to meet the requirement.

Meanwhile, the city government likewise approved three ordinances recognizing deserving elementary and secondary graduates through the city mayor, vice mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod’s award for academic excellence and leadership award.

All members of the council, including Batac vice mayor and presiding officer Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta authored the said ordinances authored and were all approved on its third and final reading on the February 19 regular session.

This recognition gives special import in the multi-dimensional development of the pupils and students both public and private schools.

Batac mayor Albert D. Chua believes that commitment to excellence must become ingrained in the psyche and character of every Batacqueño, especially the young with the city’s distinction as “Home of Great Leaders”.

Mr. Chua said that recognizing the deserving pupils and students by giving medals or medallions for the academic and leadership achievers are a way of acknowledging their exemplary performances.

The awards will for deserving pupils and students “With the Highest Honors Gold Medal” with a general average of 98%-100%; “With Highest Honors for Silver Medal “with a general average of 95%-97%; and “With Honors for Bronze Medals” with a general average of 90%-94%.  

The mayor hopes that these ordinances will encourage pupils and students will to do better so they could also be receiving the same soon.

The mayor likewise thanked the parents for continuously guiding and supporting their children of becoming sports enthusiasts and academic excellence and that the city government will always be there to support the city DepEd’s programs and activities.