Hidilyn Diaz Zoom Call with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

SNA (Toronto) — Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is being revered as the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist, but it has only been two years since she found her name “red-tagged,” or blacklisted, by the Duterte regime.

Red-tagging in the Philippines refers to the act of blacklisting individuals or organizations allegedly critical of the government administration. Regardless of actual political beliefs or affiliations, these individuals and organizations are identified as threats to the government.

In April 2019, Diaz found herself among those included in a matrix of personalities allegedly involved in an ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte, as revealed by the presidential spokesperson at the time, Salvador Panelo. Diaz’s photo was presented in the context of an alleged link to Rodel Jayme, who supposedly had “constant online collaboration” with supporters of the opposition Liberal Party.

Diaz’s father, Eduardo Sr., had once faced similar accusations for wearing something that looked similar to a Magdalo t-shirt, seen as implying that he had ties to the eponymous group of dissident soldiers. As a result, he never wore the shirt again and routinely appeared in interviews with a shirt that bore the logo of the Philippine Sports Commission.

At the time of the accusation against Hidilyn Diaz, she expressed that she was “so focused on [her] goal for Tokyo 2020” and called the document a “baseless matrix.” Regardless, she faced public backlash and ridicule which contributed to her leaving the Philippines to train in Malaysia.

On top of the political pressure, Diaz also struggled with finding financial support from her home country.

On Twitter, Diaz posted a picture of the lackluster weightlifting training facilities in Manila, expressing her opinion that the gym had not changed since 1990. A Twitter user then denounced her as being “demanding,” to which she replied, “I’m demanding? Let’s train together so you’ll understand.”

On Instagram, Diaz had to ask for private sponsors to help with her Olympic bid due to the neglect of the Philippine government.

In Malaysia, Diaz used facilities provided by the Malaysia Sports Institute before the country went into Covid lockdown. Unable to return to the Philippines, she stayed at a house arranged by deputy president of the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation, Ahmad Janius. There she trained in a makeshift gym with weights made from water bottles.

In an interview she expressed that others “do not know what the athlete is going through” and that athletes must be properly “prepared for the expenditures.”

In the wake of her Olympic victory, however, the Philippine government is being pushed by public opinion to provide more financial and other forms of support to long-neglected Filipino athletes.

As for herself, Diaz is taking home 33 million pesos (US$660,000) in cash prizes now offered by the government and several businessmen, as well as a house and lot.

The Philippine Sports Commission also guarantees a 10 million peso (US$200,000) incentive for each Olympic gold. As the windfall of benefits continues to increase, more and more brands are coming out to celebrate her victory with free food and services.

These same companies now suddenly coming out to hijack Hidilyn Diaz’s win and share in her Olympic glory were conspicuously absent when she was asking for financial support during her training period.

The Duterte government, too, has also now backed away from its previous political charges against Diaz.

In a Zoom call between Diaz and President Rodrigo Duterte that was broadcast on state television, the nation’s leader encouraged Diaz to “let bygones be bygones” and “forget” about “bad things” from the past.

It seems that Diaz is doing exactly that, saying that she forgives “the people who bashed” her and “those who threatened [her] life.”

Diaz added that she hopes similar accusations “will not happen to other athletes and all of us can learn from this,” and also expressed her desire to stay away from political issues.

“As an athlete, I don’t want to be political and I have to focus on the things that I need to do.”

Nevertheless, as a representative of her country as its first Olympic champion, some level of involvement in politics cannot be avoided.

Diaz’s win came in an upset of Chinese star weightlifter Liao Qiuyun. This itself became a point of contention since Diaz’s coach, Gao Kaiwen, is Chinese.

In the context of the maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing, her win was a painful loss for some Chinese nationalists, hardly made better by Diaz herself being photographed wearing a shirt that read “West Philippine Sea” in both English and Chinese.

“I just want to say that it’s ours,” she said in an interview, referring to the bilateral territorial dispute.

At any rate, Hidilyn Diaz has become the first Olympic gold medalist from the Philippines after winning in the women’s 55-kilogram weightlifting category, ending her nation’s 97-year drought. She is now regarded as a symbol of resilience for a country that has suffered greatly both from torrential monsoon rains and the coronavirus pandemic.

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