FILE PHOTO: Facade of the Senate building, GSIS Complex, Pasay City. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Tuesday adopted two separate resolutions seeking the establishment of a public marker and a “special stamp” commemorating the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal win courtesy of weightlifting champion Hidilyn Diaz.
The two resolutions were initiated by Senator Richard Gordon, who joined his colleagues in hailing Diaz for clinching the elusive gold medal for the Philippines.
“After all, it is a historic event…With the permission of everybody, I move to pass this resolution to indeed facilitate the special stamp in honor of the event of the victory of Hidilyn Diaz,” Gordon said.
Subject to style, the body adopted the still unnumbered resolution.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri asked the Senate secretariat to “prepare a resolution…in line with what Senator Gordon would like to happen with the commemorative stamps.”
Public marker
Gordon also moved for the adoption of a resolution that would recommend to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) the creation of a public marker honoring Diaz’s victory.
In suggesting the resolution, Gordon did note that NHCP rules prohibit the creation of a monument for a living person.
However, he cited a provision defining national historical monuments as “structures erected as a memorial to great heroes or events in Philippine history declared as such by the NHCP.”
“I think if we move for a resolution then the event of the winning of the first gold medal and if there other medal winners—certainly the first gold medal is the most important—would be appropriate,”
“So I would like to move subject to style that we pass a resolution asking the [NHCP] to allow the erection of a marker in a public place commemorating the event where the first Filipino won a gold medal after 97 years,” he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Zubiri suggested that the resolution be tabled for the meantime as other Filipino athletes are still looking to clinch more gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I am in favor of the resolution but just in case there’s another gold medalist…It does not make all the other medalists a second fiddle just because there was a first one. It just so happens that the event was the first,” Sotto said.
“Baka sakaling gusto niyo, intayin na lang muna natin yung iba pa?” he added.
But Gordon said that if other Filipino athletes bag more gold medals for the country, then the Senate “can take note of that when it happens and we can approve it.”
“The Senate president is correct. We should indeed wait but because—again we’re not doing any statues—we are commemorating or honoring the event where we won the first gold medal [because of] Hidilyn Diaz…if others win on that event for gold medal, then we can put the others,” Gordon added.
Likewise subject to style, the resolution on the public marker was also adopted by the body.
During Tuesday’s session, the Senate also passed a resolution commending Diaz for her historic win in the Olympics.
READ: From ‘home-made barbells’ to ‘historic gold:’ Senate honors Diaz for Olympic win
Diaz delivered the Philippines’ breakthrough gold medal after conquering the women’s 55 kilograms weightlifting competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Zamboanga-born athlete also lifted a record-setting combined weight of 224kg.
READ: Hidilyn Diaz wins weightlifting gold in Tokyo Olympics