PH Olympic athletes to honor AFP colleagues in C-130 crash

MANILA, Philippines—Soldier-athletes bound for Japan will pay tribute to their fallen and wounded comrades in the C-130 plane crash when they compete at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“We offer our best performance in our respective events to our countrymen and our fellow soldiers, especially those who suffered in the tragic C-130 plane crash,” Eumir Marcial was quoted as saying.

The July 4 plane crash in Sulu, the country’s worst military aircraft disaster in recent history, killed 53 people—50 of the 96 passengers onboard and three local residents.

Marcial and fellow soldier-athlete Hidilyn Diaz are both enlisted personnel from the Philippine Air Force. The two paid an online courtesy call on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Cirilito Sobejana on Tuesday (July 6).

Marcial, an airman first class, is currently training for boxing in the United States. Diaz, a sergeant, is in Malaysia to prepare for the Olympics.

Diaz is the first woman to win an Olympic medal for the Philippines and the first Filipina to win a medal in weightlifting. Marcial has also won several medals in various international competitions since his boxing career started in 2011.

They will represent the Philippines in the international sports event to be held from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo.

“With the kind of dedication and commitment that A1C Marcial and Seregant Diaz have, the AFP is sure that they will bring honor to the country,” Sobejana said.

TSB