PSC Chair William Ramirez. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—From among the elite athletes whose training the Philippine Sports Commission bankrolls, count weightlifting’s Hidilyn Diaz as one of the luckiest.
PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez on Tuesday explained that the Olympic silver medalist receives one of the highest allowances in the national pool aside from the government sports agency’s consistent approval of the requirements needed in her Olympic journey.
“The government has been very supportive,” said Ramirez in reply to the mixed reactions on social media where Diaz sought for financial backup in her 2020 Tokyo Olympics bid.
READ: Hidilyn Diaz asking for financial support for Tokyo 2020 stint
For the first five months of the year alone, the PSC has shelled out P4.5 million to fund the foreign training of Diaz in Hainan and Guangxi in China.
The agency has also been shouldering the expenses for her foreign coach, Julius Kaiwen Gao, specifically the latter’s monthly salary and food allowance, among others.
The requests for funding by the Philippine Weightlifting Association, Diaz’s national sport association, in local and international competitions were also approved.
“Hidilyn receives support from the PSC and the Philippine Air Force being an enlisted personnel,” said Ramirez.
That’s apart from the financial backing that the Asian Games and Asian Indoor Games gold medalist receives from private companies such as the MVP Sports Foundation and Alcantara and Sons, Ramirez intimated.