The Senate on Monday, September 6, conferred the Medal of Excellence to the four Filipino athletes who bagged medals for the Philippines during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Hidilyn Diaz, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Eumir Marcial became the first recipients of the Senate's highest award for their exemplary performance in the recently-concluded summer olympics.

The newly-created award is given to outstanding Filipinos recognized by international bodies and those who "set the highest standards of excellence, nationalism and virtue that their fellow countrymen can aspire for".

The athletes went to the Senate to personally receive their medals.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III particularly praised Diaz for her historic olympic victory as he recalled the weightlifting champion's struggles -- poverty, lack of financial support, and when her name was dragged in the Duterte administration's "oust matrix".

"Hidilyn's dedication, sacrifices, and self-discipline to Olympic goal were beyond compare. Her journey was never easy, but she rose above it," Sotto said.

"She lifted the pride and spirit of nation hungry for role models and inspiration wth her bare hands, figuratively and literally, when she won the first-ever Olympic Gold Medal for the Philippines in Women's Weightlifting," he said.

"She will go down in history s one of the best the country has ever seen. Not only did she lift barbells and weights that night but rather she lifted all of us with prode and joy at the time when we felt frustrated with the pandemic and all these lockdowns," Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri also said of Diaz.

The senators also hailed boxers Petecio, Paalam and Marcial for winning medals in their respective events.

Petecio and Paalam both won silver medals, while Marcial won a bronze medal.

"Theirs is the story of Filipino strength and courage. They are the heroes that made the light shine through the darkness of the pandemic," Senator Joel Villanueva said.

Sen. Pia Cayetano, meanwhile, appealed to her colleagues to also remember the Filipino athletes in their deliberations of the proposed 2022 budget, and ensure adequate funding to support them.

Aside from the medals, the Senate will also be giving cash rewards for the athletes.

Zubiri said that P1 million will be given to Diaz; P500,000 each to Petecio and Paalam; and P400,000 to Marcial.

Members of the upper chamber unanimously approved last week, September 1, the resolutions awarding the medal of excellence to the four athletes.

The Senate also recognized the Philippine Olympic Committee under the leadership of Cavite 8th District Representative Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino for its role in the country's highest medal haul since the 1932 games in Los Angeles.