Hidilyn gets Tagaytay house, van prizes
Other Tokyo Olympic medalists to receive house and lot units
TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite. – Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president and Cavite 8thth district Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Wednesday turned over the promised house and lot unit to 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz and three other medalists in a ceremony held at Windyridge Hotel in Tagaytay City.
Tolentino, together with his wife Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino, turned over the brand new house and lot and Foton car to Diaz after the thanksgiving mass held at Lourdes Church in the city.
The POC president also led the groundbreaking of the house and lot units for Olympic silver medalist boxers Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and bronze medalist Eumir Marcial.
Diaz is set to receive an additional P5 million from the government after setting two Olympic records on her way to winning a historic gold medal in the Tokyo Games and silver medal in 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympic.
The 30-year-old Diaz of Zamboanga City now owns the Olympic records in clean and jerk and total lift in the women’s 55kg category, which made its Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Under Republic Act 10699 or the Expanded Incentives Act for national athletes who surpass Philippine record or ranking in any measurable international tournament like the Olympics shall be given cash incentives, the amount of which may be determined by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
The additional incentive raises Diaz’s cash windfall from the government to P20.5 million as she will receive P10 million from the PSC for her Olympic gold, P2.5 million from her hometown Zamboanga, and P3 million from President Rodrigo Duterte aside from a house and lot in Zamboanga.
Diaz will get P10 million each from tycoons Manny Pangilinan and Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corporation, P5 million from businessman Dennis Uy, and P3 million from House Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero.
Other rewards include a house and lot from Century Properties, a condominium unit from Megaworld Corporation, and lifetime free flights from Philippine Airlines and AirAsia airline.
Petecio, 29, native of Santa Cruz, Davao Del Sur, a Filipina amateur boxer, won a silver medal in the inaugural women’s featherweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Filipino woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing.
Paalam, 23, a native of Talakag, Bukidnon settled for silver medal after falling to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai in men’s flyweight finals.
Marcial, 25, of Lunzuran, Zamboanga, went home with an Olympic bronze after a tight match to Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhnialk in a closefight in the men’s middleweight semifinals.
