Sports patron Ang hopes Diaz goes for gold anew in Paris 2024

MANILA, Philippines — Is Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz making another golden run at the 2024 Paris Games?

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president Ramon Ang hopes so.

“Hidilyn is the country’s trailblazer in our successful Olympic gold medal quest. After years of heartbreaks, 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,” said Ang.

“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’s statement came the same day he personally handed over to Diaz, a Ginebra San Miguel ambassador since 2019, the P10 million incentives he promised to give for delivering the country’s historic Olympic mint.

Ang will also give P5 million each for boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam for their Olympic silver and P2 million to Eumir Marcial for his bronze.

As a bonus, Ang also gave Diaz two Chick ‘N Juicy chicken rotisserie franchise outlets at Eastwood City in Libis, Quezon City and another to be set up at her hometown in Zamboanga from San Miguel Foods, Inc. to help ensure she and her family will have a steady and sustainable source of income.

“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 the past few weeks. My advise to her is of course to be smart with her finances--to spend and invest wisely, and to plan for the future,” said Ang.

“With the franchise outlets, we will assist Hidilyn every step of 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.”

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,” he said.