Hidilyn mentor to get P2.5M
Rio Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz’ coach Dondon Aldanete said yesterday he’s been advised to expect his incentive of P2.5 Million this week and with the bonus, the unsung hero from Zamboanga Sibugay plans to buy a property on which to build a home for his wife and five daughters.
Aldanete, 43, said he met with PSC chairman William (Butch) Ramirez, PSC conditioning coach Jay Futalan and Philippine Weightlifting Association (PWA) vice president Elbert Atilano the other day to discuss plans for the sport. It was during the meeting when Ramirez assured Aldanete of his incentive as stipulated by law.
“I never asked about it but chairman Ramirez mentioned the check will be ready this week,” said Aldanete, a criminology graduate of Zamboanga A. E. Colleges, now Universidad de Zamboanga. “I’m very grateful. Right now, my family lives in a one-bedroom house of about 30 square meters on an 80-square meter property. My wife (Samantha) and I sleep in the living room while our five children, all girls, sleep in the bedroom. Our girls are 17, 14, 9, 4 and two months old. Half of our house is made of kawayan. I’m planning to buy a property so we can build a bigger house for my family.”
Aldanete was with Diaz and the country’s other Olympic weightlifter Nestor Colonia in Fujian, China, when his youngest child Eliza was born two months ago. They were in China for a 58-day training program supervised by coach Yang Wei. From China, Aldanete and the lifters went straight to Rio. It was only last week when Aldanete went home to see his baby for the first time.
Aldanete said Fujian is a weightlifting hotbed. “There are over 100 lifters in the school, from eight years old to the 20s,” he said. “Before we arrived, Indonesia’s Olympians just left. We were with lifters from the US and Canada. What I learned most was the adaptation to different sciences like how to support weightlifters with the right therapy, treatment and nutrition. We didn’t learn about technique too much because we’re about the same in that department. Lifters are prone to pain in the joints and muscles. In the Philippines, it takes two or three days to recover and we get the usual pain medicine. In China, there are therapists, doctors and acupuncturists who look after the lifters so that if they complain of pains and aches, they’re back on the platform after a day. We’re not at the level where we can be treated scientifically.”
Aldanete said the Fujian camp is equipped with several weightlifting platforms the size of four basketball courts in a gym and the latest exercise machines and tools. He said the trip to Fujian started with a four-hour flight to Beijing then another four hours to reach the destination. The training program was suggested and financed by the PSC. “Some years back, we were told that there would be a weightlifting gym to be built near the tennis court at Rizal and we would get new weightlifting equipment but we’re still waiting,” he said. “Our latest weights were bought in 2005 for the Southeast Asian Games. You can just imagine how old the other weights are.”
But Aldanete said Ramirez promised to get things done. “Change is coming, that’s what President Duterte declared,” said Aldanete. “Chairman Ramirez plans to renovate our existing gym and bring in new equipment. He wants to help the athletes and give the support they need to succeed internationally. The PSC intends to put up a sports institute with centers in Zamboanga, Dumaguete and North Luzon. It’s an exciting development for Philippine sports.”