The House of Representatives on Monday, August 2, adopted a resolution conferring the Congressional Medal of Excellence on Hidilyn Diaz for ending a nearly century-long Olympic gold medal drought for the Philippines.
It was House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco who led in filing House Resolution No. 2041, congratulating, commending and conferring the said medal to the weightlifter, who bagged gold in the women’s 55-kilogram category in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
According to Velasco, the Congressional Medal of Excellence was created to give honor and commendation to “exceptional modern-day national heroes in sports who win the gold medal in the Olympics.”
The House also adopted House Resolution No. 1981 which seeks to institutionalize the granting of such medal for national athletes who will win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Currently, there are two congressional medals being handed out by the Lower House, the Congressoinal Medal of Distinction and Congressional Medal of Achievement.
The House awarded Diaz the Congressional Medal of Distinction five years ago for winning a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Congressional Medal of Distinction is given to Filipino achievers in sports, business, medicine, science, and arts and culture; while the Congressional Medal of Achievement is awarded to political, economic, and cultural leaders, who made a distinction through their life-work and vision.
Other lawmakers who introduced House Resolution No. 1981 include House Majority Leader Ferdinand Romualdez, House Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano, and Representatives Faustino Dy and Manuel Jose Dalipe.