Pinoy Asian Games medalists ‘paldo’ with nearly ₱35M in cash rewards

Medalists might receive additional cash bonuses from Malacañang and the private sector

The Philippines is coming home from the 2026 Asian Games with 29 medals—and athletes and coaches are set to go “paldo” mode with nearly ₱35 million in cash incentives.

This year’s medal haul includes four golds, nine silvers, and 16 bronzes.

“This is the best finish in 64 years, or since 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta,” Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio said.

The Philippines won 18 medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, including four golds, two silvers, and 12 bronzes.

Now, the medal haul comes with a sizeable payday.

Under Republic Act No. 10699, or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, Asian Games medalists receive ₱2 million for gold, ₱1 million for silver, and ₱400,000 for bronze.

For team events with fewer than five members, the same individual medal incentive is divided equally among the participating athletes. Teams with five or more members receive 25% of the individual medal incentive for each team member.

Coaches are also entitled to 50% of the corresponding incentive, with the amount divided among multiple coaches.

Medalists might also receive additional cash bonuses and other perks from Malacañang and the private sector.

And there were plenty of memorable runs behind those numbers.

Carlos Yulo delivered two gold medals in less than 24 hours, ruling the men’s floor exercise and vault. His younger brother, Karl Eldrew Yulo, also made the podium with a bronze in the horizontal bar.

In virtual taekwondo, Jeus Yape became a pioneer, winning gold in the mixed individual event as the sport made its Asian Games debut.

EJ Obiena also kept his grip on the men’s pole vault title, successfully defending his Asian Games gold.

The Philippines added silver medals through Jean Claude Saclag in men’s traditional MMA and Marie June Adriano in women’s karate kumite.

The Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3 team also reached the podium with a silver, while tennis star Alex Eala added another medal to the country’s haul.

For Gregorio, the results point to progress beyond the medal tally.

“Malaki ang pagbabago sa development ng ating grassroots program sa Philippine sports,” he said.

The 2026 Asian Games were held in Japan from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, with early sporting preliminaries beginning on Sept. 10. Held every four years, the next Asian Games will be hosted by Qatar in 2030.

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