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Onyok Velasco still chasing after P2.5M promise

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ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><div style="padding-top:66.375%"><div id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container"> <ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-vid="1466272" data-ivs-floating="1"></ivs-player> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js"></script> <script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script> </div></div></figure><p>Twenty years after he won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mansueto &quot;Onyok&quot; Velasco is still pursuing the P2.5 million incentive promised to him.</p><p>Velasco nearly won the gold in the light flyweight division but settled for silver after losing a controversial match against Bulgaria’s Daniel Petrov.</p><p>He returned home as a hero and was awarded a P1.1 million incentive.</p><p>&quot;May binigay po sa akin na P750,000 tapos may binago silang batas yata,” Onyok told ABS-CBN News’ Dyan Castillejo. “Nakakuha po ako ng P1.1 million.”</p><p>But Velasco was reportedly promised to be given more.</p><p>Velasco said there was a proposal filed in the House of Representatives to grant him more incentives. Unfortunately, the counterpart measure in the Senate was not passed as the upper house was facing a leadership dispute that time.</p><p>“Ang P2.5 million sa Congress po iyon, ang House speaker pa po noon si Jose de Venecia. Kasi ipapasa pa sa Congress then sa Senate po. &#x27;Yung time noon, nagpapalitan pa si Neptali Gonzales at si [Ernesto] Maceda po,” he said.</p><p>Velasco met with senator and boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday to appeal his case.</p><p>Pacquiao promised to help his fellow boxer.</p><p>“Para sa akin tax free na yun. Incentive naman yun sa kanya para sa karangalan na ibinigay niya sa ating bansa. &#x27;Yun ang importante, i-follow up natin ‘yan para makuha naman niya,” said the eight-division former world champion.</p><p>Velasco was the last Filipino Olympian who won a medal for the Philippines before weight lifter Hidilyn Diaz ended the drought with a silver medal finish 20 years later.</p><p>He said he was supposed to use the money to put up a boxing gym that will help train future champions.</p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)</p>

<p>Twenty years after he won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco is still pursuing the P2.5 million incentive promised to him.</p>

Twenty years after he won the silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco is still pursuing the P2.5 million incentive promised to him.