Against the drubbing by current incidents jabbing the Filipino from every direction and at any time of day —like the reported anti-government destabilization moves and unrelenting weather disturbances—there is the swing rocker where the ordinary man can feel a certain sense of amour-propre to lift the spirits up.
Take the case of the Filipino medalists from the 272 Filipino athletes who participated in the recently concluded continental and quadrennial event, the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, who met up recently with President Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañang, the chief executive’s riverside official residence.
This sports-inclined nation of 106 million people harvested a total 21 medals—four golds, two silvers, and 15 bronze medals —which allowed the athletes from the Land of the Morning to dash home as 19th overall in the 45-country multi-sports event where competitive physical fitness capacity shone under the Indonesian sky.
The President, following the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, awarded these recent heroes medals and cash incentives, under which law gold medalists are entitled to P2 million, silver medalists P1 million and bronze nedalists P500,000.
A felicitous opportunity that was for a presidential pat on the athletes’ shoulders, who gave honor to their country as they held their heads high, with pride and confidence, as they stood up against thousands in the different sports activities in the Games.
The gold medalists are skateboarder Margielyn Didal, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, and golf players Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go.
Didal’s gold raised the Philippines’ total to 4 in these Games in Jakarta and in Palembang, equaling the country’s output in 2006 in Doha, 1986 in Seoul, and 1978 in Bangkok.
The Philippines hasn’t won more than 4 gold medals since the 1962 Games in Jakarta, where the carriers of the tricolors brought home seven.
But more than the medals, the Filipino athletes gave honor to their country.
We take pride and honor in their blue-chip feat.