Why Phoenix Petroleum stopped Hidilyn Diaz’s lifetime fuel incentive
Phoenix Petroleum said that Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz lost her free lifetime fuel incentive after signing a contract with another fuel company.
In a statement on Thursday, March 12, Phoenix Petroleum addressed the issue with Diaz's prize after her historic win in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"Phoenix Petroleum has always held our athletes in the highest regard, and remains proud to have supported them through the years," it began.
Since 2018, they have actively backed Filipino athletes in their quest for the country’s first Olympic gold. This support included organizing donation drives and providing an allowance for Diaz in 2019.
"In 2021, Hidilyn, the very athlete we chose to support, fulfilled our goal of winning the first Olympic gold medal for the country. Hence, we were honored to turn over our cash donation of P5 million to her, P3 million each to silver medalists Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, and P1 million to bronze medalist Eumir Marcial. We also immediately provided them with their first year of fuel donations," they wrote.
"As the sole gold medalist, Hidilyn Diaz was awarded with the 'free fuel for life' donation, while the rest enjoyed their respective allocations for a limited time," they added.
According to the fuel company, they provided Diaz with her second year of fuel support in March 2022. When they requested to share the donation online, they claimed the athlete declined due to her contract with another fuel company.
"She soon ceased communicating with us. We respected her decision," they said.
Phoenix Petroleum emphasized that they have already honored their commitments, adding that the fuel donation could not continue after Diaz partnered with another brand.
"We fulfilled our commitments. As with many corporate donations, such arrangements are guided by conditions, including brand alignment. As circumstances changed and Ms. Diaz engaged with another fuel brand, the fuel donation arrangement could no longer continue under the same terms," they wrote.
They lamented: "It is, therefore, puzzling that, five years later, this matter has resurfaced online amid discussions about rising fuel prices, leading to misleading narratives and unfair criticism directed at Phoenix Petroleum."
"Despite the support we extended in good faith, the company is being unjustly vilified," they added.
The fuel company also expressed its dismay to Diaz's manager, Noel Ferrer, for bringing the matter to the public rather than settling it with them privately.
"We are also disappointed that this matter was raised publicly by her manager before any direct communication or clarification with us. Had they reached out first, it could have been clarified privately and amicably," they wrote.
"Phoenix Petroleum remains proud of the role we played in supporting our athletes during an important chapter of their journey. Lastly, our respect for Hidilyn Diaz and all Filipino athletes remains steadfast, and we are one with Filipinos in enduring the current difficulties we all face," they concluded their statement.
Diaz's free lifetime fuel incentive resurfaced when a social media user brought it up amid the rising costs of fuel due to the Middle East conflict.
PhilSTAR L!fe reached out to Ferrer and asked whether the brand has talked to Diaz, to which he replied, “Let’s just wait for their reaction if ever. [T]he netizens are the ones who brought it up... they just tagged us and the company. [W]e haven’t heard from them though."
In his statement on Thursday, March 12, Ferrer revealed that Phoenix Petroleum gave Diaz's supposed "lifetime" free fuel incentive only for the first two years after her win.
He said, "Netizens resurfaced it recently. Hidilyn told me that she received fuel support for the first two years after her win. Thanks, but to be accurate, it wasn’t for a lifetime. I’m not sure whose lifetime the people had in mind."
Diaz made history as the first Filipino to win Olympic gold in the women’s 55 kg weightlifting at Tokyo 2020. She earned a Management degree from De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde in 2023 and completed a culinary course at the Center of Culinary Arts Manila in 2025.
Returning to competition, she placed fourth in the women’s 58 kg event at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games after missing the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She currently teaches at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s College of Human Kinetics.
