If San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president Ramon S. Ang would have it his way, he wants Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz to bring home more honor to the country by aiming for another gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Slated three years from now, the event will also mark a century of Philippine participation in the games.
Ang said that with momentum on her side after winning the country’s very first gold medal recently, the 30-year-old weightlifter is poised to establish another record by aiming for the gold in the 2024 edition. Again, Hidilyn will not only bring honor for herself and the country, but also embolden Filipino athletes in other disciplines to give their best.
“Hidilyn is the country’s trailblazer in our successful Olympic gold medal quest. After years of heartbreak, she came through for us and we are very thankful as a nation. We encourage her to go for another gold and inspire more athletes to believe that they can achieve more,” Ang said.
“Her victory comes at a very crucial point in our country’s history when we are grappling with a pandemic and a lot of Filipinos are looking for hope as we fight this virus and cope with the difficulties it has brought,” he added.
Ang, who met Diaz, a Ginebra San Miguel brand ambassador from 2019, personally handed to her a P10-million check, as his personal gift for her winning the gold. Aside from Diaz, boxers Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio will receive also receive P5 million each from Ang for winning silver medals, while P2 million will go to bronze medal-winning boxer Eumir Marcial.
Ang said that despite the windfall of incentives Diaz has received, he wanted to help ensure the Olympic gold medalist and her family will always have a steady and sustainable source of income.
That’s why apart from the P10 million incentive, he is also giving Diaz two Chick ‘N Juicy chicken rotisserie franchise outlets from San Miguel Foods, Inc. as a gift. One outlet will be located at Eastwood City in Libis, while another is to be set up in her home province of Zamboanga.
“We know that after winning the Olympic gold, there’s a downpour of incentives both from the government and the private sector for Hidilyn and our other Olympic medalists. My advise to her is, of course, to be smart with her finances–to spend and invest wisely, and to plan for the future,” Ang said.
“With the franchise outlets, we will assist Hidilyn every step of the way in her journey as an entrepreneur so that she can also help other people in need of jobs. In addition to the physical stores, equipment and training, we will also provide the initial stocks for free to get her started,” he added.
Ang also asked Diaz to use her influence to encourage more Filipinos to follow health protocols and get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Being a world-class athlete takes a lot of discipline and adherence to time-tested rules in order to be the best. Beating this pandemic requires the same. We can all do our share by being diligent with following health protocols, and getting vaccinated. There is a Hidilyn in each one of us and we can all carry the country’s weight on our shoulders through this difficult period,”Ang said.
A longtime supporter of Philippine sports, SMC backed the Philippine team that ruled the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with a haul of 149 gold medals, 117 silvers and 121 bronzes.
With the help of SMC, the Philippine team also won the overall championship in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games with 112 golds, 85 silvers, and 93 bronzes.
SMC also owns a three professional basketball teams, namely San Miguel Beer, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
