Olympic-bound rower Cris Nievarez received cash incentives from Quezon 4th District Representative Helen Tan and GP Partylist Representative Jose Gay Padiernos on Monday at the PRA Headquarters in La Mesa Dam, Quezon City.
“Sobrang nagpapasalamat ako sa tulong na binigay nina Congressman GP at Congresswoman Helen. Ngayon po mas lalo ko pa gagalingan para sa Olympics,” said Nievarez.
Congresswoman Tan has pledged to extend whatever assistance Nievarez will need to successfully prepare and compete in the men’s single sculls event of the Tokyo Olympics.
Tan noted that she never thought twice about providing Nievarez the needed incentive, because the Filipino rower reminds her of her humble beginnings.
“Chris and I came from poor families. But through faith, hard work, and commitment to excellence, we both overcame the odds and won.
“May the determination and resilience of our new Olympic idol despite the many setbacks serve as inspiration for the younger athletes to strive better and for all Filipinos to never give up”, she explained.
“Galing sa Puso ang tulong na binibigay ko kay Cris. Magandang sport itong rowing. Dapat suportahan natin,” said Padiernos.
Cris’ mother Shirley Nievarez thanked the lawmakers for all their support for his son’s journey in the Olympics. She said, “Sobrang napakalaking tulong nito sa aming pamilya, lalo na ngayon na sobrang hirap kami sa buhay.”
The Philippine Rowing Association also expressed its heartfelt gratitude to Congressman GP and Congresswoman Tan for the support it extended to Cris and the sports organization.
“We hope that this much-needed financial boost will inspire our 20-year-old Filipino rower to stay focused on training and to keep himself competition-ready for the Tokyo Olympics. With the help of the government and private individuals, we want to keep this momentum going and move a step closer in promoting the sports of rowing in the country,” PRA President Pato Gregorio said.
Nievarez became the third Filipino rower in the Olympics that took 21 years since Benjie Tolentino in 2000 Sydney. He will be the country’s entry in the men’s single sculls (M1x) in the Tokyo Olympics this year.
