Not a #SorryNotSorry: This Water Station’s Greeting for Hidilyn Diaz Has an Actual Apology

(SPOT.ph) Well wishes and messages of support keep on coming in after Filipina athlete Hidilyn Diaz bagged the gold medal in the women’s 55-kg category for weightlifting at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 26. But aside from your usual congratulations, some brands stepped up in their greeting. Orocan, for example, made a not-so-subtle call out against private and public entities that didn’t help Diaz when she needed it the most but are now joining the hype. But Aquabest, a water refilling franchise, acknowledged this and apologized for it. “Sorry, wala kami noong simula ng iyong karera,” they said in a Facebook ad posted on July 28.

Also read:
Orocan’s Greeting for Hidilyn Diaz Is as “Un-Plastic” as Can Be
Like a Daughter: Hidilyn Diaz’s Foster Family in Malaysia Shares Stories About the Olympian

Maybe former Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo can learn a thing from two from Aquabest, especially after the government official tagged Diaz in a “matrix” of alleged anti-government plotters on national television in 2019. The redtagging didn’t only affect the Filipina athlete, but also her whole family who feared for their safety.

The chief presidential legal counsel insisted that there’s really nothing to say sorry for the reactions were all based on “based on a wrong premise.” He also blamed the media, which merely reported the matrix he presented during a Palace briefing.

“Madali mag-apologize kung mali ang ginawa mo, pero kung wala ka namang ginawa, like for example, ano bang ginawa ko? I just presented the matrix, na wala naman akong kinalaman, upon the instructions of the President. You cannot apologize for something that you have not committed,” Panelo said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel.

“I’m sorry, I’m sad to know na nasaktan si Hidilyn. I’m sorry for that, kawawa naman. I’m telling Hidilyn if she’s watching, hindi naman ‘yon ang intensyon ng gumawa ng matrix,” he added.

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