Philippines’ Hidilyn Diaz reacts after placing first in the women’s 55kg weightlifting competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo International Forum in Tokyo on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is preparing a hero’s welcome for Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz following her historic win in the Tokyo Olympics, lawmakers said Monday.
Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said Diaz made Filipinos proud after she brought home the first gold medal for the Philippines in the history of the Olympics.
“Our heartfelt congratulations to Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz for her historic gold win in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Thank you for claiming the country’s first Olympic gold medal. You have made all of us proud!” Velasco said.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez dubbed Diaz as a “national treasure” whose name will be “immortalized as the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the Olympics.”
“Hidilyn’s victory showcased the spirit of the Filipino to persevere against all odds. She displayed the grit and determination that our nation needs right now to be able to succeed in the global fight against COVID-19,” Romualdez said.
“We offer our prayers that Hidden and other Filipino Olympians now in Tokyo be safe and free from harm as they embark on the perilous mission of getting medals of glory in the age of pandemic,” he added.
Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said the House leadership is preparing a hero’s welcome for Diaz.
“I hope Hidilyn’s golden feat of historic proportions will inspire our other Filipino olympians still in contention. May they bring home more Olympic Golds and more Olympic medals,” Romero said.
“Hidilyn’s Olympic gold is exactly the morale boost our country needs right now as we wage the war against COVID-19 and get our country back on the road to economic recovery,” he added.
Romero said he will give Diaz P3 million for bringing home the Olympic gold. To recall, Romero earlier disclosed that he will give P3 million to Filipino Olympic athletes who will bag a gold medal, P2 million for silver, and P1 million for bronze.
Rep. Mannix Dalipe, the representative of the 2nd District of Zamboanga City where Diaz resides, said that the athlete brought home glory to the city and the whole country.
In her fourth straight Olympics, Diaz delivered the Philippines’ breakthrough gold medal after conquering the women’s 55 kilograms weightlifting competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
READ: Hidilyn Diaz wins weightlifting gold in Tokyo Olympics
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