Senator Pia Cayetano appealed to the public, especially netizens, to respect the privacy of the country's athletes who work hard to bring pride to the nation.

"Our athletes are people. Tao lang po sila (They are just humans)," Cayetano said during the Senate's plenary session on Wednesday.

"Minsan may problema sa lovelife, minsan may problema sa mga mahal sa buhay, katulad ng pamilya,"

"Minsan may sumpong, may mga araw na pagod. I have all those emotions. As a senator and as an athlete," she pointed out.

"And I hope that we realize that just because we achieve so much, it doesn't mean that you are not a human being," she stressed.

Earlier, the Senate approved the resolution conferring the Senate Medal of Excellence for Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo who bagged two golds in the recent 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, despite this achievement, Yulo stirred the public and netizens after his problems with his family, especially his mother, became public.

But Cayetano said netizens should be fully aware and remember that beyond their medals and achievements that the country's athletes bring home, they too live private lives and are entitled to their privacy.

"I really want to take this opportunity to ask our netizens to be kind, to be grateful to our athletes," the lawmaker said.

"Beyond their medals and achievements, they are also human beings who deserve respect," she reiterated.