ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Hidilyn Diaz's manager says 'free fuel for life' incentive delivered only in first two years

Hidilyn Diaz's manager says 'free fuel for life' incentive delivered only in first two years

Published Mar 12, 2026 08:54 am  |  Updated Mar 12, 2026 03:25 pm

At A Glance

  • Later on Thursday, March 12, Ferrer released a statement on social media clarifying that the lifetime fuel incentive was provided to Diaz for only two years.
Screengrab from Noel Ferrer's Instagram account.
Screengrab from Noel Ferrer's Instagram account.
Amid the spike in fuel prices linked to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, many netizens recalled the widely publicized pledge from Phoenix Petroleum following Hidilyn Diaz’s historic golden victory at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- a lifetime supply of free fuel.
But the resurfaced posts sparked fresh discussion after Diaz’s longtime manager, Noel Ferrer, revealed that the supposed lifetime fuel incentive never actually materialized, even describing it as a “drawing” or merely a proposal that did not push through.
“Drawing naman po ang lifetime,” Ferrer posted on his social media account.
In his column posted on Pep.ph, Ferrer further added: “ Naku! Sanaol talaga. Medyo naiiling na lang ako. Si Haidie ay tumatahimik na lang at idinadaan na lang sa punchline.”
Later on Thursday, March 12, Ferrer released a statement on social media further disclosing that the lifetime fuel incentive was provided to Diaz for only two years.
“Phoenix Petroleum made the promis public in 2021 when Hidilyn won the country’s first-ever gold medal in the Olympics. The lifetime fuel incentive was their announcement, their commitment -- not hearsay. In the artcard/press release, there were no conditions whatsoever; it was presented purely as an incentive,” the statement said.
“Hidilyn told me that she received fuel support for the first two years after her win. Thanks, but to be accurate, it wasn’t for a lifetime. I’m not sure whose lifetime the people had in mind,” it added.
Ferrer further said individuals should learn the importance of making true to their promises and respecting the athletes who bring honor to the country.
“Sana matuto tayong bigyan ng importansya hindi lang ang mga salita at pangakong binitawan, kundi ang pagpapahalaga sa mga atletang naghatid ng karangalan sa bansa… May these tough times bring out the best in us -- and the honesty to match public pronouncements,” the statement said.
As of press time, Phoenix Petroleum has yet to address the issue.
It can be recalled that the petroleum company previously published a statement on its website saying it would award Diaz "free fuel for life", along with a P5 million cash incentive, in recognition of winning the country's first Olympic gold medal.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.