President Rodrigo Duterte has met with Filipino Olympic Gold Medalist Hidilyn Diaz few minutes after she returned home to the Philippines.
Duterte told Diaz that the entire nation is ecstatic on her victory which happened shortly after Duterte delivered his last State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“We are extremely proud. We cannot express even in the words how we should really be shouting Halleluiah. Pero salamat naman sa pagtiis mo,” Duterte said.
The president commended the hard work of the Filipino Olympian. He however did not apologize for the previous inclusion of Diaz in an Oust Duterte matrix.
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“I hope that the years of toils, the years of disappointments, and the years na hindi maganda ang nangyari in the past, just forget them, you already have the gold. Gold is gold. And it would be good for you to just let bygones be bygones and dwell solely on your victory, together with your family and of course with the nation,” he said.
Duterte pledges to give Diaz a new house and at least Php 3 million in cash.
“So, diyan sa Zamboanga meron akong projects, house and lot para sa mga sundalo, so, hindi mo na ito kailangan, well maybe someday may mga relatives ka, kaaptid mo, mag sundalo rin, you might just keep it this time and think of what you should be doing. Im going to give you one fully furnished, furnish na, it’s a house and lot in Zamboanga City,” Duterte said.
“Thank you so much po, President. Thank you po,” Diaz responded.
“Then, you will have the one of the highest of the nation’s presidential medals, the presidential merit, the presidential medal of merit. It will be given to you I think here in appropriate ceremonies,” he said.
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“3 million galing sa akin, 10 million galing sa gobyerno talaga, ito Office of the President lang. So, ayusin mo mabuti ang buhay mo. You’ve been blessed by God,” he said.
“It’s always the honor that you brought to the country that’s what counts most. So, mabuhay ka. at ako naman ang mag saludo sayo. Yes Ma’am,” Duterte ended. (TDT)
