THE country’s first Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting definitely knows the challenges and rigors of not owning a home.
Hidilyn Diaz, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist pointed out that owning a home is quite important for her. Coming from a humble background, she recalled the six siblings of the Diaz clan had a difficult time because of the congestion they experienced in the places they had stayed. “Owning a house is definitely one of my major wishes and I am sure every Filipino aspires to have their own,” Diaz told the press in an interview after the Century Properties Group (CPG) presented on September 27. The Zamboanguena received the deed of donation for her PHirst Park Homes house and lot prize in the community she personally handpicked at PHirst Park Homes Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas.
Diaz also emphasized it would be an advantage for athletes like her to have their own home in Metro Manila after they retire from active competition and could no longer stay at the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. “I agree that rewarding athletes with a house and lot for their stellar performance in the Olympics and other international competitions is a very wonderful incentive. They deserve it because they have given their blood, sweat and tears in training and international competitions for the flag and country. It also inspires the athletes to give their best,” Diaz explained.
Diaz said the government also gave her a house and lot in Zamboanga.
She chose Batulao mainly because of the cool weather, proximity to Manila and Tagaytay City and to easily reach out to her parents.
On his part CPG and PHirst Park Homes Executive Chairman Jose E.B. Antonio said giving Diaz a house and lot package was “really a spontaneous reaction for us when she won it.”
“There were so many similarities—first gold medal, PHirst Park Homes. She came from humble beginnings, our company Century Properties, grew, more than 30 years ago. It also came from humble beginnings. We started with only six personnel. The same tenets that you emboldened in your mind: hard work, faith in God and perseverance. It’s not automatic that you’ll get these awards just because you like it. You have to work for it. When I saw her on television, I found her story quite inspiring,” Chairman Antonio said.
“PHirst Park Homes has many dreams and aspirations, just like Hidilyn and many of our kababayans. Not only are we going to do more projects of a similar concept, but we’re thinking of expanding the concept into exciting opportunities, more products, creating more destinations, creating more than just the amenities, a lifestyle and a place that people can really be proud of,” CPG President and CEO Marco Antonio explained.
Diaz was accompanied in the donation signing by her family members as well as her coach, trainer and partner Julius Naranjo. Welcoming her into the PHirst Park Homes community were CPG, Jose E.B. Antonio, Marco R. Antonio and PHirst Park Homes President Ricky M. Celis.
Diaz expressed her gratitude to PHirst Park Homes and Century Properties as she accepted the gift, stressing the hard work she put in to realize her dream. “I gave all my best in training and poured all of my strength in because I believe that we need to make sacrifices and work hard if we have a dream,” Diaz said.
CPG Executive Chairman Antonio likened Diaz’s achievement to the aspirations of the young Filipinos….“The message that we get from you is that if you persevere, work hard, and aspire to work towards your goal, it is possible to achieve your dreams. That is the message that we glean from your achievement and we would like to share this to all our countrymen all over the world.”
Moreover, the event became special when Celis announced that starting September 27 PHirst Park Homes would be officially naming her Unna unit Hidilyn. “As a tribute to the honor that you have given every Filipino, we at PHirst Park Homes are pleased to announce that starting today, we are officially naming our Unna unit into Hidilyn… the name that has brought pride to the Philippines and the Filipino people,” Celis said.
The Unna is a 2-story single-attached home with 54 sq m of floor area and 88 sqm of lot area. Diaz’s chosen unit is a 54-sq-m home on a 146-sq-m corner lot. She also received a commemorative plaque and medal from PHirst Park Homes during the symbolic handover of her prize, and placed the house plans of the Hidilyn home into a time capsule during the groundbreaking ceremony, at the exact spot where her future home will be built. The target completion for her new home is in December 2022.
Established in 2017, PHirst Park Homes is a partnership between Century Properties Group and Mitsubishi Corp. It has emerged as one of the fastest-selling developers of affordable housing with 10 communities to date and more than 13,000 units launched. PHirst Park Homes posted reservation sales of P4.38 billion for the first half of 2021, 38 percent higher than P3.17 billion in the same period last year. In terms of units, reservation sales reached 2,327 or 28 percent more than 1,819 units in the comparative period. Total collections for the first half of 2021 hit P2.02 billion, a 172-percent increase over P744 million in the same period last year.