VIRTUAL COURTESY CALL. Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz pays virtual courtesy call on President Rodrigo Roa Duterte after she arrived from Japan on Wednesday (July 28, 2021). The Philippine Postal Corporation will release a stamp in honor of Diaz’s extraordinary and historic achievement. (Screengrab from RTVM)
MANILA – The Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office), under the Office of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, will release a stamp in honor of the extraordinary and historic achievement made by weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the first Filipino Olympic gold medalist.
“It is our mandate and protocol to immediately issue a stamp in honor of personalities who excelled in sports on in any other arena,” Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said.
“Hidilyn, your fete made us all proud. The Philippines’ long wait for its “First Olympic Gold Stamp” since we joined the Olympics in 1924 finally happened. You made history for the Philippines, the sports world and the Philippine Post Office,” Fulgencio said.
Fulgencio said right after Diaz won the elusive Olympic gold medal in Tokyo on July 26, he directed the creative team of the Post Office to start designing the first Olympic Gold Stamp.
He then shared the good news with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
“The Post Office wanted the public to experience the victory and excitement of this historic win and even inspire young people to excel in their chosen sports following the footsteps of our own Filipino pride, Ms. Hidilyn Diaz,” Fulgencio said. “This is our own way of honoring and acknowledging their great effort and contribution to society.”
He said the Post Office wanted to make sure that Filipinos who have brought pride and honor to the country will never be forgotten and their greatness “will forever be imprinted in the hearts and minds of our countrymen through the postage stamps.”
Postage stamps have been used around the world to commemorate, in miniature, significant events and people.
The value of stamps increased with time, turning it into an important part of a country’s identity.
“It would be nice to showcase Filipinos who greatly contributed to the joy, inspiration and pride of the nation,” he said. (PR)
