Marcos: I'll ask Carlos Yulo what the gov't can do to improve PH sports

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is inclined to ask Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo what still needs to be improved in the country's sports sector so that more Filipinos would reign in competitions such as the Olympics.

In an ambush interview on Wednesday, Marcos was asked if the Office of the President is eyeing to give a separate monetary reward for Yulo after his historic double gold victory in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

''Well, why not? Yeah, I don't see why not. He deserves everything that anybody is willing to give him. Actually dahil may monetary reward na siya, kung saan saan nanggagaling, ang talagang... pag ka nagkita kami, itatanong ko sa kanya ano ba ang maitutulong ng pamahalaan para mas dumami ang ating mga medalists sa Olympics?'' Marcos said.

''Nadaanan niya lahat 'yan. He went through the Tokyo Olympics, he has now won his two gold medals in the Paris Olympics kaya't kung ano pa ang aming gagawin because alam naman natin itong mga atleta, hindi lang ang sarili ang iniisip kung hindi pagandahin pa at mas maganda pa ang performance doon sa sports nila at sa buong sports ng Pilipinas,'' he explained.

Marcos said his personal interest is to make more Filipinos be victorious when it comes to sports.

''I'm going to ask him what can we do. He has already P20 million, he has already I don't know if he needs... Hindi na siguro siya mangangailangan ng pera. Pero para sa akin ang interes ko, dumami ang medalists kagaya niya. Anong kailangan gawin? Do we need to change the organization? How do we... what needs to be funded?'' he said.

Yulo gave the Philippines’ second Olympic gold medal following weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz’s victory in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

But the 24-year-old gymnast did not only give the Philippines just one, but two gold medals in this year’s games after topping the men’s floor exercise and vault finals.

With his double gold victory, Yulo stands to receive cash incentives, and house and lot from the government and other private institutions. —KG, GMA Integrated News