Hidilyn Diaz: What I know is West Philippine Sea is ours

Hidilyn Diaz: “Honestly, the shirt was just given to me and what I know is what’s ours is ours. I want to say that, ‘It’s ours’ but of course, I can’t meddle with the international dispute between how many countries.” Screenshot from the online press conference of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP)

MANILA, Philippines — After rewriting Philippine sports’ history at the Tokyo Olympics, Hidilyn Diaz made a statement Thursday over the West Philippine Sea dispute with China.

Diaz shared her two cents on the territory issue in a virtual press conference after a photo of the weightlifting queen clad in a shirt emblazoned with “West Philippine Sea” on the front resurfaced on social media.

“Sa totoo lang bigay po yon [shirt’ sa akin and ang alam ko kung atin, atin. Gusto kong sabihin na, ‘Atin yon eh’ pero siyempre hindi ko puwedeng pakialaman kung ano yung international dispute diyan between how many countries,” Diaz said when asked about the long-standing dispute during the FOCAP Online News Forum via Zoom.

(Honestly, the shirt was just given to me and what I know is what’s ours is ours. I want to say that, ‘It’s ours’ but of course, I can’t meddle with the international dispute between how many countries.)

“Pero siyempre gusto kong sabihin na sa atin yon. Gusto kong sabihin na kung anong atin, atin,” she stressed.

(But of course, I want to say that that’s ours. I want to say that what’s ours is ours.)

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Diaz, a member of the Philippine Air Force, delivered the Philippines’ first ever gold when she beat world record holder Liao Qiuyun of China in a thrilling showdown. Her dramatic victory ended the country’s 97-year quest.

“After winning [the] Olympics, kaya natin. So as ordinary people na walang masyadong alam about sa international dispute or international na political thing gusto ko lang sabihin sa kanila na ito ang alam ko: na sa atin ang West Philippine Sea,” the 30-year-old Zamboanga City native.

(After winning the Olympics, we can do anything. So as ordinary people who don’t know much about the international dispute or politics, I just want to say that this is what I know: that the West Philippine Sea is ours.)

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