Hidilyn Diaz‘s mother Emelita barely slept the night right after her daughter bagged the gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics because of mixed feelings of joy and anxiety.

Emelita said on Tuesday, July 27, that she was overjoyed but worried at the same time that her daughter’s new sports celebrity status would come at a price – that she would find herself in some destabilization plot matrix again just like in 2019.

Dried-eyed the morning after, Emelita spoke of her concerns that with her daughter’s rising popularity, she might be mistakenly accused again of conspiring against the Duterte administration.

In 2019, presidential legal adviser and then-presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo released a diagram that showed Diaz as among those supposedly plotting against President.

Panelo has denied linking Diaz to the supposed destabilization plot, and presidential spokesman Harry Roque said neither he nor his office had anything to do with the matrix.

But Emelita was nervous and, with a shaky voice, told reporters in Chavacano: “Soldao si Hidie. Na pais su loyalty. Nunca le queda parte del matrix.”

(Hidie is a soldier. Her loyalty is to the country. Never will she be part of the matrix).”

The 30-year-old Diaz holds the rank of airwoman sergeant.

Emelita, 58, said the matrix hurt her, her daughter, and their family. Until now, she said, she still feared for her daughter’s life and their family’s security.

“Que ver: ultimo cuando ya usa mi marido t-shirt que ya dale con ele tiene design de Magdalo, ya habla ya kay de Magdalo ele,” said Emelita with a heavy sigh.

(Think of this: even my husband was already spoken of as someone with links to the Magdalo group just because he wore what was designed like a Magdalo t-shirt.)

Her husband, Eduardo Sr., never wore that t-shirt again as a result. When they faced reporters on Tuesday, he wore a shirt that bore the logo of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Emelita said several military officers vouched for her daughter then. Despite Panelo’s denials, she said their wounds have not yet healed, not even with the windfall resulting from Diaz’s Olympics victory.

Eduardo and Emelita said they valued their reputation, and their daughter’s good name was more important to them.

Emelita said Hidilyn called up from Tokyo on Monday night while the entire family celebrated her big win.

“Cuando ya mira kami kay ya gana le, bien alegre kami. Saltando, pero llurando na alegria. Ya rindi kame gracias con el Señor una na todo. Ya reza kami primero,” she said.

(When we saw that she won, we were very happy. We were jumping and crying in joy. We gave thanks to God. We prayed first.)

“Gracias, Mang, na prayers de tuyo (Thank you, ‘Mang, for your prayers),” Emelita quoted Hidilyn as telling her.

It was a brief call, Emelita said, but enough for her and her husband to tell their daughter how she did her family and country proud.

She said Hidilyn ended the call with these words: “Durmi ya yo. Cansao ya yo (I’ll sleep now. I’m very tired).” – Rappler.com