Senators took to social media to congratulate and praise Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam for bagging a silver medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
Paalam settled for silver against Great Britain's Gafal Yafal in the men's flyweight final on Saturday, August 7.
"We’re proud of you, Carlo!! Lumaban ka hanggang sa huli! Panalo ka pa rin para sa amin (You fought 'til the end! You are still a winner to us)!!" Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri tweeted, posting a video of him and his children watching Paalam's match.
Zubiri encouraged Paalam to still compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, vowing to help the amateur boxer to win the next time.
Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, who is preparing for his fight in the United States against Errol Spence this month, also congratulated his fellow boxer.
"Congratulations, Carlo Paalam for bagging the Olympic Silver Medal! You fought a good fight! We are proud of you," Pacquiao said on his official Twitter account.
Congratulations, Carlo Paalam for bagging the Olympic Silver Medal! You fought a good fight! We are proud of you. pic.twitter.com/x8ve7SUL7z
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) August 7, 2021
Senators Nancy Binay, Grace Poe, Imee Marcos, Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel also congratulated Paalam for his feat.
"Congrats Carlo! You made us all very proud! At such young age you already achieved great honor for your country, for your people and for yourself! We love you and God bless you more!" Senator Joel Villanueva also posted.
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go also said he is proud of his fellow Mindanaoan for giving honor to the Philippines.
"Sa lahat ng iyong sakripisyo at ipinakitang galing, sa pagbibigay mo ng inspirasyon sa kapwa mo Pilipino na pilit bumabangon mula sa pandemyang kinakaharap, daghang salamat (For all your sacrifices and performance, for giving your fellow Filipinos the inspiration amid the pandemic that we are facing, thank you very much)!" Go said on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Zubiri also commended other Filipino athletes "for giving their best" in the Tokyo games.
"Winning 1 Gold, 2 Silvers and a Bronze medal plus tremendous showing on others sporting events!"
"Best performance ever! And Best Performance among the South East Asian Countries at the games!! Thank you for giving us hope during these times of uncertainty and lockdowns. Mabuhay ang Philippine Sports! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!" he said in a separate statement.