THE Senate, unanimously adopting Resolution 850, commended the triumphant Filipino athletes and the Philippine Olympic Committee led by Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino for their successful performance in the Tokyo Olympics.
In his sponsorship leading to the adoption of Resolution 850, Senator Panfilo Lacson noted that “in times like this where the scale of daily bad news has almost rendered positive things few and far between, it is truly a breath of fresh air to hear stories of hope and success as that of our Filipino athletes’ victory in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics 2020.”
Lacson added: “Without taking anything away from our athletes who have given their all in making history and bringing pride to our nation, this representation wishes to also give credit to a leader whose actions inspired and empowered his people to dream more and do more.”
Philippine Senate Medals of Excellence were also conferred to gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz (Resolution 882 by Senate President Vicente Sotto III), silver medalists Carlo Paalam (Resolution 878 by Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri) and Nesthy Petecio (Resolution 875 by Senator Francis “Tol” Tolentino and bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial (Resolution 876 by Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa).
The Senator credited Cavite Eighth District Representative Tolentino, who, Lacson noted, “has worn yet another challenging hat after having been elected as President of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) in 2019.”
Lacson recalled that soon as he took office, Tolentino “hit the ground running to advance the welfare of our national team, adding that for 2021, “he outlined three major goals, one of which being to win the Philippines’s first Olympic gold medal since 1924 in the Tokyo Olympics.”
“Despite the challenges brought about by the novel coronavirus,” Lacson said Tolentino showed his “resilient leadership and profound care for the welfare of our athletes” by pushing for the appropriation of funds in the 2021 national budget to bolster the training of our national athletes.
The Senator noted that Tolentino, in his capacity as a legislator, likewise introduced a P180-million allocation in the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act to benefit the athletes and coaches belonging to the national team, which include allowances and pandemic assistance.
“Mr. President, history has been made when our athletes were able to bring home our first Olympic gold medal together with two silver medals and one bronze medal, thus becoming the most successful Philippine delegation in the Olympic Games,” Lacson said, adding: “And in this regard, we would like to express our deepest thanks to the man whose guidance and leadership led to our country being the best-performing country in Southeast Asia in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, ending Thailand’s four-peat Olympic reign in the Southeast Asian region.”