MANILA, Philippines – Olympians Hidilyn Diaz and Marestella Torres-Sunang are among the Filipina athletes supporting the Expanded Maternity Leave Act of 2018. 

Under the act, a separate provision will allow pregnant athletes to continue receiving their allowances and other benefits. They will also be allowed to go on maternity leave until they are cleared to train again. 

The bill – which would grant 105 days of paid maternity leave to all working mothers – was ratified by the Senate and the House of Representatives last Wednesday, October 3. 

House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano pushed for the athletes’ provision after hearing that pregnancy is among the concerns of several female athletes. 

“Kung maging law siya lalong lalo sa sports maging masaya kami,” Diaz, the weightlifting star who bagged an Olympic silver in 2016, told Rappler. “Iba kasi norm sa sports pag nabuntis ka na di mo na kaya [maging athlete].” 

(We’ll be thrilled if it’s going to be a law especially in sports. In sports, the norm is that if you get pregnant, you can’t go back to being an athlete.) 

Many bemedalled athletes in the past have defied the odds, continuing their athletic careers after giving birth like Philippine long jump queens Elma Muros-Posadas and Marestella Torres-Sunang. 

“Pag naipasa yong bill na yan malaking tulong po iyan sa mga atleta na my plano pang  bumalik [sa sport nila],” Torres-Sunang said in a text message to Rappler. 

(If this bill is passed, then it will be a big help to those athletes who have plans of returning to their sports.) 

“Dahil nung time ko as in zero support and even nung bumalik na ako sa training wala pa rin sila [Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) and government] support sa akin. Inantay nila mag compete ako then noong nag-compete na ako at ako pa rin ang No. 1 jumper sa Philippines, they just gave me [a] rate for training pool allowance.” 

(During my time, there was zero support and even when I went back to training, there was still no support from the government. They waited for me to compete, then when I completed and was still the No. 1 jumper in the Philippines, they just gave me a rate for training pool allowance.) 

Torres-Sunang had to support herself with her savings during the 9 months she was pregnant with her son in 2013. After giving birth on January 25, 2014, she was just lucky to have a sponsor who funded her when she returned to training in March 2014. 

“At inantay pa nila (PATAFA and government) ang 2015 SEA Games bago ako mabigyan ng full support,” added Torres-Sunang. 

(PATAFA and the government waited for the 2015 SEA Games before giving me full support.) 

But what made Torres-Sunang’s journey remarkable was that she booked a ticket to her second Olympic Games by leaping to a Philippine record-breaking mark of 6.72m in the 2016 Kazakhstan Open. 

After a lackluster 2018 Asian Games stint, the Pinay long jumper decided that her last leap for the Philippines would be in the 2019 SEA Games in front of the home crowd. 

“Depende sa determination ng atleta kaya believe kami kay Ate Maris (Marestella),” said Diaz, who’s inspired by veteran Filipina athletes like the 37-year-old long jumper. 

(It depends on the determination of the athlete that why we believe in Ate Marestella) 

The Expanded Maternity Leave Act is just waiting for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature before it will be proclaimed a law. – Rappler.com