Gold medallist Margielyn Didal of the Philippines gestures during the victory ceremony for the women’s skateboard street event during the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang on August 29, 2018. AFP FILE PHOTO
Nineteen-year-old skateboarder Margielyn Didal received a brand-new house and lot from the National Housing Authority (NHA) in Region 6 through the help of Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Butch Ramirez as a reward for her gold medal in this year’s Jakarta Asian Games.
“At the moment, Margielyn has no house [of her own] to stay [in],” Ramirez told the Inquirer, when asked why only Didal got the bonus among the four gold winners in the Asiad.
Didal, along with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and golfer Yuka Saso, pocketed P6 million each from the government and the private sector for winning gold medals in the Asiad. Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go also captured gold in team event.
NHA representative Gavino Figuracion, in his letter to Ramirez, said the Didal family chose a house in Barangay Maricaban, Sta. Fe, Cebu.
The Didal family has already complied with documentary requisites to acquire the property, which was part of those that would have been raffled off to victims of Typhoon “Yolanda.”