Hidilyn Diaz with her husband Julius Naranjo in the aftermath of the earthquake which happened the day after their wedding. –HIDILYN DIAZ INSTAGRAM
MANILA, Philippines – Newly-wed couple Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and Julius Naranjo were forced to evacuate their hotel room after the country was hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake on Wednesday.
The morning after their wedding, Diaz and Naranjo were found outside the Baguio Country Club due to the mandatory evacuation caused by the earthquake, which shook Abra, Ilocos Norte and other parts of Luzon.
Noel Ferrer, Diaz’s manager, took to Instagram to share the couple’s experience. The Tokyo Olympic weightlifting gold medalist said in the video that she thought that her husband was moving.
Naranjo shared his wife immediately started praying after realizing it was an earthquake.
“She was on the bed and then she was like [shocked]. She didn’t even start the prayer from the beginning it was only halfway,” said the weightlifting coach, keeping the mood light amid the situation. “We’re used to that. People from Guam are used to that.”
Chris Tiu and his family, who attended the wedding, were also seen in Ferrer’s video.
The weightlifter’s handler commended the hotel’s disaster response after the crew gave raisin bread and water to their guests while waiting outside of the building.