Duterte to grant cash reward to Hidilyn Diaz

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will also give a cash incentive to veteran weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz after snatching the historic Olympic gold medal for the Philippines, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“Milyun-milyon po ang pinangako ng Presidente para doon sa makakamit ng gintong medalya (The President has vowed to grant millions of pesos to anyone who will bag the gold medal),” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing held at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Roque, however, refused to give the exact amount of cash prize that Diaz would receive from Duterte.

Roque said the cash reward from Duterte would make up for Diaz’s lack of access to weightlifting equipment.

“Hidilyn truly deserves it. Kung anuman ang pagkukulang sa training, I’m sure mababawi po lahat iyan sa generosity hindi lamang po ng pamahalaan kundi pati ng pribadong sektor dahil (Whatever the shortcoming is when it comes to her training, I’m sure it will be rectified through the generosity of the government and the private sector because) she truly made us proud,” he said.

On top of the cash incentive from Duterte, Diaz also secured a total of PHP33 million for ruling the women’s 55-kg. weightlifting category at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan on Monday night.

Under Republic Act 10699, the government, through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), will provide a cash grant worth PHP10 million to an Olympic gold medalist like Diaz.

Aside from the PSC, business tycoons Manny V. Pangilinan of PLDT and Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corp. have pledged to provide similar cash rewards.

House Deputy Speaker Michael Romero has also pledged an additional PHP3 million for gold medalists.

Roque said Diaz deserves to be honored for bringing pride to the country.

“Hindi po mababayaran ng salapi ang tagumpay ni Hidilyn pero hayaan naman nating ipakita ang ating pagmamahal sa kaniya sa pagbibigay hindi lang po ng congratulations kundi pati ng pabuya sa kaniyang mga nakamit (Money is not enough to honor Hidilyn’s victory but let us show her love not just by congratulating her but also by giving her cash rewards),” he said.

‘Game-changer’ for sports

Roque, meantime, acknowledged that Diaz’s victory is a “game-changer” for the Philippine sports.

He also admitted that there is a need to raise the allowances and benefits of Filipino athletes.

“I think itong victory na ito ([Diaz’s] victory) is also a game-changer for Philippine sports,” Roque said. “Siguro, mas maraming mananalo ng ginto kung medyo itataas natin ‘yung tulong na ibinibigay natin sa mga atleta (Perhaps, many of our athletes will win a gold medal if we raise the allowances that we are giving to them).”

Roque also expressed hope that additional benefits would be granted to athletes to further boost their morale.

“Ito po ang dahilan siguro para pagisipan ng ating mga policymakers na kinakailangan talagang maglaan ng mas malaking suporta sa ating mga atleta dahil ang kanilang mga panalo ay panalo ng buong Pilipinas at hindi lamang ng ating mga manlalaro (Perhaps, this would make policymakers realize that there is a need to give additional support to our athletes because their victory is also the victory of the entire Philippines and not just the victory of the athletes),” he said.

Gold medal of valor

The PSC will be awarding a gold Medal of Valor to Diaz for winning Olympic gold.

According to Republic Act 10699 or the expanded incentives act, the winner of an Olympic and Paralympic gold will receive the said medal on top of the monetary incentive of PHP10 and PHP5 million respectively.

The PSC has already prepared the said medal accordingly and is looking into awarding it alongside the monetary incentives, usually given out by the President himself, in a courtesy call in Malacañang.

This is a long-time provision of the law which the country never had the chance to follow, but is now set to be implemented for the first time with Diaz’s historic and record-breaking victory. The design is still under wraps but will give honor to both sports and the nation’s symbols.

The PSC is also preparing a hero’s welcome for Diaz who is set to return home on Wednesday after bagging the country’s first-ever Olympic gold since it joined the most prestigious quadrennial meet in 1924.

In 2019, Diaz appealed for financial support amid her preparations for the Olympic event. The same year, her name was included in the broader “Oust Duterte” matrix released by then-presidential spokesperson and incumbent Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.

Despite Diaz’s previous inclusion in the “Oust Duterte” matrix, Roque said he does not need to issue an apology because he never accused the athlete of being involved in the supposed plot to unseat the President.

“As spokesperson, wala po akong kahit anong binintang kay Hidilyn Diaz (I never made any accusation against Hidilyn Diaz),” he said.

In May 2019, Panelo already clarified that Diaz is not part of the ouster plot against Duterte.