Haters of now Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz started to praise her after ridiculing the athlete for the past years, prompting celebrities, personalities, and netizens alike to share their respective reactions on twitter.
In 2019, Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo accused Diaz of being associated with personalities and groups that were allegedly “plotting to oust” Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
However, after hearing that Diaz won the first-ever gold medal for the Philippines, Panelo on July 27 congratulated her.
He also denied that the athlete was not part of the alleged ousting plot claiming that the media made a “wrong analysis” of the diagram.
“It is disturbing to witness certain quarters attempt to cause division among us, Filipinos, at a time when we should be collectively rejoicing for the Philippines — through the hard work and determination of Ms. Hidilyn Diaz — historically secured its first Olympic gold medal last night.
“It is truly disheartening that there are people who seek to take the limelight out of Ms. Diaz’s recent triumph and convert it into a political skirmish of who should and should not celebrate our country’s win,” said Panelo.
But there was evidence that shows otherwise.
A twitter personality using the handle @MxNoelle was astounded by how the Government, particularly Panelo, linked Diaz to the matrix of people and groups “trying to oust” Pres. Duterte.
Grabe no dinawit pa si Hidilyn before sa matrix na nirelease ni Panelo kingina nyo mga pakyu
— noelle (@MxNoelle) July 26, 2021
Blogger Rod Magaru shared a reaction of Diaz back in 2019 after she was accused by Panelo that she plans to oust Duterte. He also noted that Filipinos will never forget the allegations of Duterte’s legal counselor against the athlete.
https://twitter.com/rodmagaru/status/1419849552169865228?s=20
Another hater-turned-“supporter” is Mark Lopez, a certified DDS propagandist who criticized Diaz in 2019 claimed that the athlete was not having problems about the lack of funding for her training.
But now, Lopez dared to congratulate Diaz, even linking her victory to Duterte.
#NeverForget pic.twitter.com/2zk6Lj9ZMh
— omid (@omidong) July 26, 2021
Inday Espina-Varona, a journalist, shared a post from 2018, which showed Diaz receiving harsh words from Monico Puentevella of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas, after the athlete expressed her frustrations on the state of Philippine weightlifting.
Throwback from FB. 2018. Why context is important. Especially when some folks try to gloss over the harsh realities Hidilyn faced before her triumph. She wasn’t exaggerating when she spoke of struggles and challenges — which went way beyond the matrix. pic.twitter.com/ZkRiHn8fUP
— inday espina varona (@indayevarona) July 27, 2021
Another Duterte supporter became a fan of Diaz. But before the athlete’s victory, he commented that the Philippines do not need Diaz to represent the country.
https://twitter.com/PinoyAkoBlog/status/1419820853076774914?s=20
A netizen is shocked at how thick-skinned the Government officials are, who congratulated Diaz after accusing her of being an anti-Duterte.
Ang bilis at ang dami ng mga resibo ng kaepalan at kawalanghiyaan ng DDS kay Hidilyn. Saludo din ako sa inyo. I aspire to this level of pettiness.
— Kat (@tightsarntpants) July 26, 2021
This tweet received a reply from film director Antoinette Jadaone as she posted a photo with a caption, “Oh my goodness! Ungkatan ng past!” since many Netizens are showing receipt of the previous allegations from the DDS.
— Toñet (@tonetjadaone) July 26, 2021
Twitter personality Charot! also mocked Duterte’s supporters by sharing a photo that showed the number of Diaz’s supporters and the number of compliments she received after winning the gold medal.
DDS ngayon. Charot! https://t.co/XFWgqOGfD6 pic.twitter.com/Z1t6vKkoFh
— Charot! (@IamCharotism) July 27, 2021
Comedienne K Brosas greeted the athlete with a good day except for her detractors who were now “supporters” of Diaz.
https://twitter.com/kbrosas/status/1419859336390594561?s=20
Atom Araullo pointed that Diaz’s victory was impressive given that the athlete had to overcome challenges like the “Matrix” scandal and the criticism she received from Duterte’s supporters.
Hidilyn’s win is even more impressive considering what she had to overcome to get here. We spoke in 2019, after her name got dragged into the absurd “Matrix” scandal. I honestly didn’t expect her to cry then, but I guess it’s proof that she’s only human.https://t.co/19YN3TVvJu
— Atom Araullo (@atomaraullo) July 27, 2021
The so-called “supporters” of Diaz are riding her victory after bashing her.
In 2019, during an interview with Araullo, the gold medalist could not help but break down because of the hate she is receiving, both from the Government and ordinary citizens.
https://twitter.com/RainbowTravelr/status/1419937839802847232?s=20
Journalist Barnaby Lo also revealed that athletes such as Diaz receive funding from private sponsors since the Philippine government is not supporting these competitors.
Lo also pointed that the win of the weightlifter is hers and people who supported her.
Our best athletes train abroad. They’re funded by private sponsors. Why? Because our gov’t doesn’t provide them enough support. When KL locked down, a Malaysian weightlifting official set up a gym in his home for Hidilyn. Hidilyn’s win is hers and the people who supported her.
— Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 (@barnabychuck) July 27, 2021
Although there was proof that the Government did not offer any support for the Olympian and instead criticized her, accused her of being one of Duterte’s ousters, said that there is no need for an apology for the emotional damages that they have caused to Diaz.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday, July 27, clarified that the Palace does not owe Diaz an apology since he did not accuse her of anything.
“Wala po. As spokesperson, wala po akong kahit anong binintang kay Hidilyn Diaz,” said Roque when asked if Malacañang needs to apologize for the inclusion of the weightlifter in the matrix.
He likewise congratulated Diaz for bagging the country’s first Olympic gold, perceiving her victory as a win for all Filipinos.
But for the former Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño, Panelo and Duterte should have a sense of decency and apologize to Diaz after accusing her of being a “destabilizer”.
Panelo at Duterte mahiya naman kayo. https://t.co/jehuSKelAs
— Teddy Casiño (@teddycasino) July 27, 2021
Diaz on Monday won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. It is the first time a Filipino athlete has won a gold medallion since its entrants 97 years ago.
