Senate adopts resolution expressing sympathy, condolences on death of Lydia de Vega

Sports great Lydia de Vega passes away aged 57. –STEPHANIE MERCARDO

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate adopted on Monday a resolution expressing sympathy and condolences for the death of sprint legend Lydia de Vega.

Senate Resolution No. 127, in consideration of eight other resolutions, was adopted during the plenary session.

In sponsoring the resolution, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva shared that De Vega was his role model.

“Kahit na po ako’y isang basketbolista, lumaki po akong iniidolo si Ma’am Lydia,” he said during his sponsorship speech.

(Even though I’m a basketball player, I grew up idolizing Ma’am Lydia.)

“Let us learn from Ma’am Lydia de Vega-Mercado that life isn’t measured by meters or kilometers, but by the number of finish lines we have overcome trying to make a difference in this world,” he went on.

Senators Christopher Go, Jinggoy Estrada, and Risa Hontiveros co-sponsored the resolution.

“Lydia may have run her final lap in this lifetime, but she will always be remembered as one of the most decorated and adored athletes of our country,” Go, chair of the Senate committee on sports, stated.

“I stand in line to honor the late Lydia de Vega-Mercado, a remarkable Filipino who put the Philippines on the world map as Asia’s fastest woman,” Estrada said.

Hontiveros, meanwhile, noted: “As one of the most recognizable female athletes in the country, her excellence on the track encouraged women and girls to seek greatness in our own pursuits.”

All senators were made co-authors of Senate Resolution No. 127.

De Vega, 57, passed away on August 10, after a bout with breast cancer.

JPV