The manager of Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz Noel Ferrer could not hide his disgust at a politician who disobeyed their rules.
In a Facebook post, Wednesday, July 28, Ferrer explicitly made it clear that there would be no physical press conference upon Diaz’s arrival in the Philippines due to Covid-19.
The athlete departed in Tokyo on Wednesday at around 1 p.m. However, her arrival to the Philippines at 5:45 p.m. however, will not have a grand welcome given that it is still pandemic.
However, the staff of Philippine Airlines (PAL) told him that when Diaz’s plane landed, she was escorted by a congressman to a press room.
Meanwhile, the actual media, ABS-CBN, TV5, GMA Network, and DZRH, were already waiting for the virtual press conference.
Ferrer did not reveal the congressman’s name, but it caused him a headache as the athlete should have been put into quarantine given that she flew internationally.
Fortunately, the congressman could not execute his plan as Diaz received a courtesy call from Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
In another post, Ferrer apologized to the media as Diaz was not able to entertain them.
The champion weightlifter will be put into quarantine for a week in a hotel. But after her isolation, Diaz has yet to find a place to stay since she already left her condo near the Rizal Stadium.
The 30-year-old weightlifter won the Philippines its first-ever gold medal during the Tokyo Olympics, Monday, July 26, despite a lack of funding from the Government and the allegations she faced while seeking help from the Duterte Administration.
During the competition, Diaz had a showdown with China’s Liao Qiuyun in the clean-and-jerk lift. But the Filipina athlete emerged victorious as she lifted a total of 127kg, snatching the gold medal from Qiuyun.
Aside from lifting 127kg, Diaz’s total weight was also an Olympic record—224kg. She also ended the 97-year Olympic gold medal drought of the country.
After her win in the Tokyo Olympics, Diaz might return to the Air Force, where she was previously a part.
Meanwhile, the Palace, though provided inadequate support to Filipino athletes, congratulated Diaz after her win.
“The Palace congratulates Hidilyn Diaz for bringing pride and glory to the Philippines for winning the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“Congratulations, Hidilyn. The entire Filipino nation is proud of you. Laban, Pilipinas!” he added.
Diaz will be receiving a total of 40.5 million pesos for her Olympic victory.
Her problem regarding a place to stay after quarantine is also no longer a problem. Pres. Duterte awarded her with a house-and-lot in Zamboanga City. The gold medalist will also have a place of her own in Tagaytay City courtesy of Philippine Olympic Committee President Bambol Tolentino.
