Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez said the government has been very supportive of Hidilyn Diaz, adding that the Rio Olympics Silver medalist and the sports body must talk.
The PSC chief was reacting to Diaz’s social media post seeking financial support for her 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold bid.
“Hidilyn receives support from the PSC and the Philippine Airforce being an enlisted personnel,” clarified Ramirez highlighting the government’s support for Diaz.
Ramirez explained that Diaz receives one of the highest allowances in the national pool and whose requirements are rarely turned down by the Board, which has steadily backed her Olympic journey.
For this year alone, the PSC has given almost P4.5 million to fund her foreign trainings in Hainan and Guangxi in China. The agency is also paying her foreign coach Julius Kaiwen Gao’s monthly salary and food allowance. Her NSA’s request for funding for competitions was also approved. A new weightlifting gym has just been constructed in the RMSC after she called attention to the old gym they were using.
The Chairman also intimated that as far as they know, Diaz receives support from private companies like the MVP Foundation and Alcantara and Sons.
It would be recalled that after her Olympic windfall, she also received millions in total from the government incentives act, RA 10699, for her silver and gold finishes in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and the 2018 Asian Games.
“I do not think government was remiss of its support to Hidilyn. Despite what it seems, we at the PSC choose to see her for what she is, a champion we will support on her dream to achieve more,” said Ramirez. “It would be good for Hidilyn to visit us so we could talk and clarify matters.“