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Diaz accorded a hero's welcome in Zamboanga City

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/8/12/20160812-hidilyn-zamboanga-jc-1.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz greets supporters during the motorcade organized by the Zamboanga City government on Thursday. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz was given a rousing welcome at her hometown of Zamboanga City where she arrived Friday afternoon.</p><p>Diaz was the first Filipino to win an Olympic medal since Mansueto &quot;Onyok&quot; Velasco won a silver in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She was also the first Mindanaoan to bag an Olympic medal.</p><p>Following her arrival at the airport, she was brought to the Zamboanga City Hall via a motorcade together with her teammate, Nestor Colonia.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/8/12/20160812-hidilyn-zamboanga-jc-2.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and Nestor Colonia wave to the crowd. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>Also accompanying her are her parents.</p><p>Fellow Zamboanguenos waved at her along the way, cheering for her success.</p><p>At the Zamboanga City Hall, the local government awarded her a check worth P500,000 for her efforts in bagging the silver medal in Brazil.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hidilyn Diaz says &quot;gracias&quot; while waving to her supporters. <a href="https://t.co/V7Lp96LPDE">pic.twitter.com/V7Lp96LPDE</a></p>— Karl Cedrick Basco (@cedrickkbasco) <a href="https://twitter.com/cedrickkbasco/status/763979494134648832">August 12, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="~//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><p>Diaz has already received P5 million and an additional P2 million from President Duterte as incentive in bringing honor to the country.</p><p>She was also promised a house and lot courtesy of a partner of the Philippine Sports Commission.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/8/12/20160812-hidilyn-zamboanga-jc-3.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz shows her medal during the victory celebration in Zamboanga City on Thursday. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</div></figcaption></figure></div><p>Diaz also showed off her weightlifting prowess to the crowd by doing a 50 kg clean and jerk lift. </p><p>The night before her homecoming, Diaz paid President Duterte a courtesy call in Davao City.</p><p>Duterte is glad that a Mindanaoan was able to end the country’s 20-year Olympic medal drought.</p><p>“For a long time, wala tayong medalya sa Pilipinas,” said the President at the press conference following their meeting. -- <strong>With reports from Karl Cedric Basco, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><p>(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a>)</p>

<p>Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz was given a rousing welcome at her hometown of Zamboanga City where she arrived Friday afternoon.</p>

Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz was given a rousing welcome at her hometown of Zamboanga City where she arrived Friday afternoon.