Filipinos all over the world are rejoicing at the silver medal finish of Hidilyn “Haidie” Diaz, the 25-year-old weightlifter who ended the country’s 20-year Olympic medal drought. As expected, people are falling all over themselves to congratulate the Zamboanga City native whom they have probably never even heard of prior to her win. Not many remember that she was the flag bearer during the 2012 Olympics where unfortunately, she was one of the two athletes who registered a DNF (did not finish) as official result.
Politicians are pledging cash rewards, some groups are promising a house and lot and we heard a private gym will be built for Hidilyn who has expressed a desire to encourage others to take up the sport. Even a certain pizza brand is capitalizing on the euphoria, coming out with a congratulatory message showing a cartoonized version of the weightlifter who said she likes pizza with lots of cheese – as “cheesy” as Hidilyn.
All well and good – because the girl deserves all the praise and accolade for this great honor she has given the country. One can’t help but wonder however – had Hidilyn not won any medal, would all these praises and promises of support still be made? Probably not. Because if one were to believe the whispers from a stoolie, some companies based in Mindanao refused to extend any support to Hidilyn and the other members of the national weightlifting team who, interestingly, also come from Zamboanga City, like Nestor Colonia (who also competed in Rio but was not as fortunate), and 21-year-old Karl Macrohon.
There was one company, however, that readily showed its support for Hidilyn, Colonia and their coach Alfonsito Aldanete (who should also get a share of the praises for the silver finish of his ward) – and that is Alsons Power Group, a Mindanao-based independent power producer. Prior to the weightlifting team’s departure, the power company gave $3,500 cash “pabaon” to show support for Diaz, Colonia and Aldanete – all of whom were naturally gratified at the generosity of the company. Alsons has subsidiaries also located in Zamboanga City, namely the Western Mindanao Power Corp. that operates a 100-MW diesel power plant in Sangali, and the San Ramon Power, Inc., a baseload coal power plant in Talisayan that is scheduled for construction this year.
More than the money, the gesture was doubly meaningful because it provided a morale boost for the athletes who left for Rio in high spirits, happy that their efforts are being recognized and that somehow, their sport is getting support from a private entity like Alsons which has been operating in Zamboanga City since the late ‘90s.
It’s a well known fact that sports like weightlifting which are not as popular as boxing or basketball do not get enough support, and the athletes themselves have to make do with what little they have by way of training facilities. At the Rizal stadium which is supposed to be a national training center, there are only two decent sets of barbells and these are used by Diaz and Colonia for obvious reasons.
Friends of Colonia say he had a poor showing during the 2014 Asian Games because his food reportedly did not arrive on time, leaving him weak during the competition. A lot of Colonia’s supporters are angry at a basher who mocked his inability to lift 154 kg, virtually calling him a weakling because Diaz was able to lift 200kg. Obviously, the basher is ignorant of the fact that the 200kg is the total weight lifted by Hidilyn in her two successful attempts.
In any case, we should all be proud of our athletes whether they bring home the medal or not. And most of all, give them the support they need when it is needed most – during training, to give them a fighting chance against the competition and prove to everyone that Filipino athletes have what it takes to become Olympic champions.
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