SENATE Committee on Sports Chairman Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday congratulated Mary Francine Padios for winning the gold in the women’s seni (artistic) tunggal single event in pencak silat — the Philippines’ first in the 2022 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“I wish the rest of Team Philippines a very good luck as we defend our overall championship. The Filipino people are all behind you!” Go said in a statement.

The Philippines emerged as overall champion of the 2019 SEA Games in Manila with 149 gold, 177 silver and 121 bronze medals.

Go earlier reaffirmed his support to the 987 Philippine delegates to the latest edition of the biennial meet that will run from May 12 to 23.

“As chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, it is with great pride and honor that I express my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you, for showing your undying devotion to our country through sports, and for upholding the true spirit of patriotism,” the senator said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, promised cash rewards to

SEA Games medalists.

Angara, sponsor and author of Republic Act 10699 or the “National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act,” said gold medalists in the Hanoi games will each get P300,000, while the silver and bronze medalists will receive P150,000 and P60,000, respectively.

“Congratulations to Mary Francine Padios for giving the country its first gold medal in the ongoing SEA Games with her masterful performance in the pencak silat women artistic singles finals. We expect to see more victories by our Philippine Team and hopefully, even surpass the 149 gold medal haul in the 2019 games,” Angara said.

“Sports continue to provide us with, not only entertainment, but also a respite from the problems and challenges we face every day, including the Covid-19 pandemic in the past two years and more recently, the fatigue and stress of the campaign for the national elections. This is why we must continue to recognize the achievements of our athletes, who through hard work and the dedication to their craft, give us inspiration and something to cheer about,” he added.